The Woman Thing
by Billie the fourth sage
Summary: Otto is subject to one of Professor Pike's experiments. I think you can guess what happens. -written by my younger sister, Maqui T., a tribute to her obsession.
1. It Begins

H.I.V.E. Belongs to the amazing Mark Walden.

This story belongs to my sister, who goes under the name Maqui T. in the HIVE forum 8D

* * *

Otto's P.O.V.

This was horrible.

No, it was more than horrible. This had been the worst day of my life so far. Not only that, this would probably stretch on for the entire week. Then that would mean that it would become the worst _week_ of my life.

Why am I ranting like this, you ask?

Well, I guess the reason can be explained with a flashback.

_(Flashback)_

"_Are you sure this'll work professor?" I asked, fidgeting a little. Even if Professor Pike was a genius, everyone can make a miscalculation in his or her equations._

"_You'll be fine Otto, I've checked and re-checked all the calculations, the machinery, everything!" he said._

_Originally, I had volunteered to be part of the Professor's experiment. Most of the people I knew, Miss Leon mostly, tried to talk me out of it. However, I stood firm. I didn't trust the older man completely, but I was interested in his theory. He said that he could safely alter the DNA of a human being by simply using a sample of different specie. That meant that I could turn into whatever I wanted._

"_There is a time limit though." He said. He told me it would only last a week. I didn't really mind. I just wanted to see how it felt like to be something else. Professor Pike said that he would be using hair from a cat. I was hoping this wouldn't turn out to be a "Miss Leon" situation. I liked my opposable thumbs, thank you very much._

"_I just have to ask though, where did you get the DNA sample?" _

"_Miss Leon." He said simply. There were two vials on his worktable, both containing a strand of hair. I assumed that of them had the cat DNA._

"_Alright then." He said. I got off the chair and walked towards one of the capsules. One would contain the DNA, while the other would contain me. I started to fidget again. What if something went wrong?_

'_No.' I thought to myself. 'You heard the professor, he checked everything.' I breathed slowly, trying to calm myself down._

"_Ready?" he asked me. I gave him thumbs up. Without looking, he grabbed one of the vials, the one with a… yellow hair?_

_Wait, wasn't Miss Leon's cat hair white?*_

"_Professor, wait―" it was too late though. The capsule had closed, and he couldn't hear me anymore. I just stood there, hoping what I saw was a trick of light._

_A strange gas started gushing in from the ceiling of the capsule. I started to feel light-headed…_

_I woke up, and for some reason, Professor Pike stared at me with a worried face._

"_Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I must have grabbed the wrong vial…" was what he was muttering._

"_Is something wrong―" wait a minute. Why was I talking? I was supposed to be a cat! I looked at my hands. They were normal. I tried staggering upwards, when I suddenly felt tired, woozy even. I also felt a sharp pain in my chest._

"_What the hell? What happened?" I looked down and gasped._

_I was turned into a girl._

_(Flashback done)_

Afterwards, I freaked out. When I calmed down, I asked in my calmest manner (which wasn't that calm) why I was turned into a girl. Apparently, there was another experiment the professor was doing, and he was using female DNA. Unluckily enough, the vial with the hair _happened _to be next to the cat DNA, and the professor_ happened _to pick the female DNA up instead of the cat's DNA.

I swore like there was no tomorrow

"How will I tell this to my friends?!" I shouted. "Just calm down for a second," he said. "And tell them the truth."

"How can I tell them the truth!? Oh hi guys! Your friend Otto has been turned into a girl. Interesting huh?" I said, with venom at the end.

"No, just tell them that the experiment backfired, and that they'll have to put up with it." Professor Pike told me. I calmed down, thinking that it was a good idea. I looked into one of the reflective mirrors and gasped somewhat. My once short spiky and white hair had become long, and wavy. It was still white though. My once high cheekbones that separated me from looking like a girl were gone somewhat, giving me that child-like look. My chest bulged somewhat (Yuck) as well.

"Well, it could be okay if they knew." I said. I had finally calmed down, when I heard someone come down the hall, to the lab.

"Otto?"

"Oh crap. Wing!"

* * *

And it begins....


	2. I KNEW IT

Another chapter, a collaboration between Billie and little sister Maqui T.

Maqui: YES! Another chapter!

Otto: Why must you make me suffer?

Maqui: Because the plot bunnies make me do it 8D

Wing: .........

Billie: **DISCLAIMER: **We do not own or in any way posses the characters in the story. Mark Walden owns all characters

Maqui: And for that, HE RULES!!!!!!

Dedicated to the people in the HIVE forum

**WARNING: abuse of gay jokes**

* * *

Wing's P.O.V.

A few days ago, I heard that Otto had volunteered to be part of Professor Pike's experiment. I, along with all the others, tried to talk him out of it. However, he did not budge. He told me that he was interested in the older man's theory, whatever it was.

I walked to the professor's lab, hoping to be able to talk him out of it one last time. However, when I walked towards the door of the lab, I heard something quite suspicious…

"Otto?"

"Oh crap. Wing!" I heard him say. The strange thing was, the voice sounded… strange. Somehow…. Shriller. (Than usual)

I entered the room, only to see a fretful Professor Pike.

"Professor, where's Otto?" I asked him. He did not hear me, still seeming quite worried.

"Professor?"

"Oh, hello Wing." He said, looking distracted. "Sir, where's Otto?" I asked. He still did not answer. "Professor, _where is Otto_?" I asked in a sharper tone.

Suddenly, there was a small crash, and I saw falling from behind one of the larger equipment in the lab.

Normal P.O.V.

"So I guess the cat's out of the bag." Otto said, standing up. Wing was still staring with a curious look on his face.

"I think you should explain it to him, Otto." Said Professor Pike. The younger sighed, beckoned Wing to sit down with him on one of the chairs. As he/she talked, Wing kept his face straight. Nonetheless, when Otto finished the explanation, Wing looked at Otto from head to toe.

And again.

At some point, he looked down at a certain part of Otto's body that had… changed, and then back at his face, and the whole sequence went on for about four minutes, before-

"I'M NOT A PEEP SHOW, WING. Are you going to help me or not?!"

Wing remained silent for a few more seconds, before nodding. "Sorry. A lot to take in." He said apologetically.

"That's okay. I know exactly how you can make it up to me."

Laura rolled her eyes while Shelby ranted about the swimming team's individual physique as they skirted past students down the hallway. However, when Shelby suddenly stopped, Laura had to see what had happened. Apparently, she was staring at something, or rather, someone down the hall. Laura glanced in her direction, and saw something quite strange.

It looked as if Otto was crouched behind Wing as they walked down the hall.

"Otto, why are you hiding behind Wing?" she asked. Otto looked up at her and said, "Oh, I'm not hiding. I'm just….. giving my best friend a hug! Yeah, that's it." With enthusiasm to match that of a disgruntled clown.

"Uh-huh." Shelby said slowly. "What are you hiding?"

"Wha-what? Nothing at all!! Wing and I are just going back to our room." Otto said with a nudge. "Actually, I was going to―" Wing began. "ACCOMPANY ME BACK TO OUR ROOM. I'm not feeling well." Otto said quickly, and indeed, he looked a little ill. He forced Wing to their room, while Laura and Shelby just stood there.

"Okay. Let me get this straight: you need to spend the next seven days in this… form?" Wing cleared up.

"That's right. And this… form… Needs a looser outfit." Otto said, struggling to remove the HIVE uniform, which had gotten painfully tight around the chest area. "Um. Wing." He said, after he got his arms stuck in a position he didn't know they could get into.

"Yes Otto?"

"I… I need some help."

"Help with?"

"Well… you know."

"… Sorry, I don't know."

"UGH… I need you to help me… remove my uniform."

"Oh."

……………….."

……………."

(Let's say, one minute later…)

"GEEZ, WING, JUST STRIP ME ALREADY!!!!"

Now Otto was only a little (very) tense, and the words didn't come out quite right, but none of that registered with either of the boys (or, the boy and the currently-female Otto) because they were interrupted when something slammed on their floor, coming from the now-open door.

"HAH! I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO!!!"

Apparently, Laura, Shelby, Nigel and Franz were listening in on their conversation. They had been standing by the door of Otto and Wing's room, when Shelby burst through the door (the others falling flat in the process).

However, when Shelby and the others got a good view of the room, they were stumped.

There were a few more moments of silence, until Nigel asked, "Care to explain?"

Otto sighed, and said, "Well, as you can see, I have been transformed into a girl."

"So…. You're not ―"

"NO I AM NOT GAY."

Then, in one swift movement, Shelby pushed Nigel and Franz out of the room. Before any complaints could be made, she slammed the door closed. She sighed.

"So are you going to explain to us why you've been turned into a girl?" she asked. Otto looked to Wing for some help, but the older one could only shrug. Otto heaved a sigh, and started.

"Remember when I volunteered for the experiment?" he asked. The other two girls nodded. "Well, the experiment's aim was to transform someone into something else. Professor Pike said that the DNA he was going to use for the experiment was cat DNA. However, there was also another experiment he was working on that used female DNA."

"And… let me guess. He mixed up the DNA samples." Laura presumed.

"Yup."

"Wow, that's harsh, and yet amusing." Shelby said. There were a few minutes of silence. It was broken, when Laura spoke up.

"So, how will you tell the rest of the school?"

* * *

Billie the fourth sage: LOL

Maqui T: PLOT BUNNIES!!! THEY COMMAND ME.

Billie: Hey, I wrote most of that.

Maqui T: SHE LIEEEES. LIES. (she only wrote half of it)

Review, Bishes. 8D

AND WORSHIP HIVE.

Disclaimers apply.


	3. Makeover

The third chapter of the story.

**DISCLAIMER: all characters belong to Mark Walden. I do not any of them.**

**Warning: More abuse of gay jokes  
**

**

* * *

**

"What do you mean?" Otto asked. "Well, there's a possibility that people will notice that you've become more feminine." Said Laura. "We should devise a plan on how to break it to the rest of our batch-mates."

"There's something we have to do first though." Shelby added.

"What's that?"

She smirked, allowing Otto to become quite troubled at what he thought she was thinking.

"Oh no. No way!!!"

"Sorry Otto, this is for your own good." She said. Laura raised an eyebrow and smiled. Wing was simply confused.

"What are you talking―Hey!" Wing was forcibly pulled out of the room by the blonde. "Sorry Wing, you'll have to stay out for now.

"But this is―" the door slammed shut before he could say anything else.

"I am NOT wearing that!" Otto exclaimed, pointing at the frilly, pink underwear that Shelby held up.

"You have no choice." Laura said calmly. "You're a girl now. You have to wear this for your own good."

"But do they have to be frilly?!" Otto cried out. Shelby put them down. "Okay, if you don't want them, I'll change the style."

"Oh thank―"

"But you have to let us do something. Besides, it's going to be a fair deal." Shelby proposed. Otto sighed. "What do you want from me?"

"You have to let us give you a makeover." Laura said, reading Shelby's mind. Otto stayed quiet for a few moments.

"Can I get out of the deal?"

"Well, if you want to. But remember, pink frilly panties or a makeover."

Somehow, Otto had to take a minute before finally choosing the latter end of the deal.

* * *

"I wonder what is happening in there." Franz wondered aloud. Nigel grumbled and shrugged. Wing was silent. He tried to imagine what was happening, but he was not blessed with the ability to read a girl's mind. Even if that girl was formerly a boy. The door to his room opened, and it caught his eye. However, who came out was even more attention-grabbing.

It was Otto, but he did not look like the female that he saw an hour ago. Her/His once messy long hair had been brushed, neatly cut, and tied into a loose ponytail. There was a thick black ribbon adorned in her hair, serving as a headband. And if the boys were not mistaken, Shelby and Laura had somehow found a way to give him/her finger-wave bangs. Her clothes seemed new; the other two girls probably asked the HIVEmind to make a new set of clothing for her. They were a little tight fitting, which showed her flawless curves. Otto's cheeks were tinted pink, probably from the heat that was gathering in her cheeks. She seemed quite embarrassed.

"Hey all! I have some news!" Shelby proclaimed. Otto seemed to shrink with every word. "Otto has been transformed into a girl in an accident concerning Professor Pike's experiments. So you guys better learn to deal with this new form, and….." she looked at the crowd below. Most of the boys had their mouths agape, while the girls looked simply shocked. They were all stunned by Otto's new good looks. Shelby smirked. She had been expecting this reaction from all of them. Even Nigel and Franz were stunned. One, however, did not seem to be affected. Wing was just looking at them, only mildly surprised.

Laura noticed this as well, and she smiled. She had also been expecting these kinds of reactions from them.

Nigel and Franz were still in a trance, mouths agape, but Wing remained quiet and unaffected.

"Hey you three, do you like the new Otto? I think she looks very nice." Said Laura. Otto was still very red from blushing. She'd never felt this self-conscious before. She looked at the three boys, to see their reaction. Nigel and Franz were still shamelessly staring at her. Wing, however, had a small smile and a calm look on his face.

"I think it's very nice as well." He said, receiving a small squeak and a blush from the female Otto.

"Can we just go eat dinner already?" Otto asked, mustering up her guts to speak up in her shrill, girly voice. Shelby grinned.

"Sure." She said, closing the mouths of both Nigel and Franz.

* * *

As they queued up in the long line, many of the boys and girls were _still_ ogling Otto. She didn't seem to mind though, all shyness disappearing when they lined up for their dinner, replaced with some irk. Nigel and Franz seemed to have gotten used to the concept of a female Otto as well, because they weren't staring at Otto anymore. Franz was already sucking in his food (being the first in line, he had the chance to eat already) and Nigel was casually talking with Laura.

"I wish they'd all stop staring. It's getting annoying." Said Otto, getting a plate of sushi from one of the counters. "Well, no one can resist you can they? You're way too cute to not notice." Wing said a smirk on his face. "I hate you so much." Otto countered, eyebrow twitching.

"I love you too." Wing replied.

"Anyway, let's take a seat with the others." Otto said, pointing out the table where their other friends were.

"Ladies first." Said Wing.

Otto's well thought-out retort consisted of a hard kick in Wing's shins, which didn't seem to affect him so much, but made Otto feel much better.

"Hey you two." Laura greeted, beckoning them to sit in between her and Shelby. They sat down, facing Franz and Nigel.

"So how's the married couple?" Nigel asked, snickering. The comment resulted in Nigel doubling in pain when Otto kicked both his legs.

Hard.

"We're fine, thank you very much." Wing replied.

Otto scanned the whole room. Many were still staring at her, most of them being boys. Damn. When she looked at the teacher's table, she saw Nero glancing at her from time to time while talking to Professor Pike. His face told Otto that he was torn between exasperation and amusement. The professor was probably telling Nero what happened. Otto sighed. At least he wouldn't have to explain to the staff what happened to him.

"Earth to Otto." Shelby said, waving her hand in front of Otto's face. "Oh, sorry about that. I was just…. Thinking." She said, pulling apart her chopsticks.

"About what?" Franz asked, swallowing a large mouthful of food. "I was just thinking that I'm glad that I don't have to tell Nero what happened." She replied, pointing to the conversation the two teachers were having.

"Good point." Laura said, forking her fried chicken. "If the professor wasn't telling Nero what happened, you would have to be dragged off to Nero's office."

* * *

Otto plopped down on her bed. She was wondering how long it would take before she would be placed in a different room with a new _female_ roommate. She could tell that the school wouldn't allow her to be roomed with a male. Otto was hoping she was wrong though.

Her train of thought was interrupted, when she heard a ringing noise coming from her Blackbox. She flipped it open, and was greeted by a familiar blue head.

"What is it HIVEmind?" she asked.

"Dr. Nero has requested that you come to his office immediately." He replied, a smile on his face. Otto smiled back, saying, "I'll be there as soon as I can." She closed the small machine.

"Crap." She whispered to herself.

As she went down the stairs, she met up with Wing. "Were you called by Nero as well?" he asked. Otto nodded. Wing looked a little downhearted. They set off to the office, expecting the worst.

"Come in." they heard a voice say. Otto and Wing entered the office, and were greeted by Dr. Nero.

"I suppose that you know why I asked you to come." The older man said. They nodded. "Seeing as Otto has been…. changed, common sense would tell someone to ask you two to change rooms." Otto looked at the floor.

"Do you want to change rooms?" he asked. "No sir." Wing replied.

"Then don't." said the older man. Otto's head snapped upwards, looking surprised. "I don't expect much to happen in just seven days, so I'll allow you two to stay together for now." Nero said, smiling. He motioned them to leave the room. Once they left the room, Otto jumped in happiness, and hugged Wing. The force of the hug caused them to fall down.

The position they were in was quite awkward, seeing as Otto had landed on top of Wing. Their faces were close to each other, only centimeters away. Wing could feel Otto's hot breath on his face.

After a few moments of silence, Otto pulled himself off Wing, his whole face red. Wing pulled himself up, a shade redder than usual.

"I don't think we should mention this to anyone." He said.

"Agreed."

* * *

Maqui T.: Okay, so that's all for now. I'll update as soon as i can. School's starting tomorrow, so i don't doubt that I'll be slowing down

For those who support OttoxLaura DON'T KILL ME


	4. Forgotten

Presenting the fourth chapter of this story!

Here, we have Otto remembering some forgotten memories.......

**DISCLAIMER: all characters belong to Mark Walden. 'Nuff said.**

* * *

_It was dark that day. Since most of the caretakers of the orphanage had the day off, this was the perfect time for the five-year-old Otto to sneak out of the old gothic building and go out exploring. He would only be gone for a few hours. _

_He walked to the nearby park, which nearly everyone had forgotten about. Most of the things there were old, broken and rusted. It would have been too dangerous for any kid to play there. Besides, it was in the older, dirtier side of London which no one, but Otto went to._

_He, however, ignored the playthings in the old, deserted park, and headed straight to one of the thickets of trees and bushes in the area. They were always fun to explore, and Otto always found something interesting there. Last week, it had been a single bush that harbored a few, rare-looking flowers. They were striped red and gold, with pink specks dotting the petals. Its stem was a bright green, and it always seemed to dazzle him whenever he came there._

_While looking around in the thicket, he felt as if someone was watching him. He pretended to pick up a piece of glass, and reflected whatever was behind him. It was a quick and subtle movement, something like a jump in between trees. He could just discern a silhouette of a person. _

_However, when Otto spun around, no one was there. Before he could wonder who, or what that was, he felt something drip on his face. More of them came, and he realized it was rain. Otto ran as fast as he could, to a place he knew where he could stay dry._

_In just a few minutes, Otto arrived to a large wooden house. From the outside, it looked as if it was going to fall any second. On the inside, though, it was steady and it was cozy. Otto had put in some abandoned furniture that he had found before. A fireplace was there ever since he found the house a month ago. He covered the holes in the ceiling with metal panels so that the rain wouldn't spill into the house._

_He entered it and hung his clothes on one of the chairs near the fireplace to dry off. Using a matchbox that he brought last week, he lit the fireplace and warmed himself by it._

_After only thirty minutes, the rain had developed into a fully-fledged storm. Otto huddled closer to the fire, which, surprisingly enough, was still going strong. Suddenly, he felt as if someone was at the door of the house. And when he heard knocking, he was assured of his suspicion. _

_He felt inclined to keep the door shut, but when the knocking got louder and even more insistent, he put on his jacket and opened the door. The rain had lessened, allowing him to take a proper look at the person standing by the door of the house._

_Otto couldn't tell whether it was a guy or a girl. The person, though taller than him, looked about his age, and Otto assumed the person was Asian. The person wore white clothes that were splashed with mud. The cloth stuck to their skin because of the rain. The person was shivering._

"_P-please, m-may I―"_

_Otto softly pulled the person in, draping a towel that he had brought with him over the other's back. Otto beckoned him to the fire that had dimmed somewhat because of the wind that blew in when he opened the door._

"_Thank you." The other said, moving closer to the fire. Otto simply nodded. He looked at the other person properly. It was a boy, though his hair was long for a regular boy's, but short for a girl's. It was raven black, and it reached up to the nape of his neck. His skin was somewhat pale, his eyes bright brown. Otto suspected that this was the person spying on him before._

_They sat in silence, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, until the other boy spoke up._

"_Thank you very much for letting me in. It was storming out there, and I believe that if I had stayed there any longer, I would have died." He said. "No problem. I guess you were simply lucky that I was here." Otto replied. The other boy remained silent. _

_They listened to the pitter-patter of the rain once more._

_After ten minutes, which to Otto felt like ten hours, the rain had stopped almost instantly. The other boy stood up, lending a hand to Otto. He took it, and was pulled up by the other. _

"_Oh yeah, I want to ask you something." He said._

"_What is it?" Otto asked, gathering and putting on his clothes that he had hung on the chair by the fireplace._

"_What's your name? You see, I want to thank you properly." The other boy replied. Otto contemplated this for a few moments. Why would he tell him his name?_

"_Otto." He said. "Otto Malpense."_

"_Thank you, Otto Malpense." The Asian boy said, coming closer. He then kissed him on the forehead. Otto moved back, face reddening._

"_Why did you―"_

"_My mother told me that I am able to properly thank someone by giving them a kiss on the forehead." The other said innocently. Otto suddenly became sad. "Is something wrong?" The Asian asked. _

"_I'm an orphan. I don't have a family."_

_The other boy's eyes widened, and then closed. "I'm so sorry." He replied. _

"_It's alright. I don't mind." Otto replied._

_When they were about to leave each other, Otto suddenly remembered something._

"_Oh yeah! What's your name?" He asked. The Asian boy looked at him and smiled._

"_I'm—_

_RIIIIIING!!!_

"Oh man, what was that?" Otto asked herself, getting up and out of her bed. She tried to remember the dream that she had. The only thing that she could recall, however, was the sound of rain, and a….. kiss?

"Gah, never mind." She told herself. She looked to Wing's bed. The alarm of the Blackbox wasn't affecting him in any way.

"Eh, why doesn't his alarm ever work on him?" She asked herself. She shook her head, reminding herself that this always happened.

"Hey." She kicked Wing's bed partly out of annoyance from being left hanging by that dream, but then replaced the action with shaking Wing out of sleep.

He did not budge.

Otto tried shaking him again, the action not producing any results. She sighed, and took to her last result. She came close to him, and started tickling him.

Finally, Wing woke up, and due to his quick reaction, fell on the floor. Otto was still tickling him.

"O-okay! Gah! STOP!" Wing exclaimed, pushing Otto off him.

"Took you long enough." She said, standing up to pull Wing up as well. "I'm going to take a bath first, if you don't mind." She told him, heading to the bathroom.

* * *

Once they had bathed, Otto and Wing headed down to the main lobby of their accommodation area. While they were walking towards their friends, Otto was deep in thought. She was trying to remember the dream that she had. But for some reason, she just couldn't. All that she could remember were small parts.

"_dark that day—_

"_five- year- old Otto—_

"_large wooden—_

"_his eyes bright brown—_

'_And a kiss?' _ Otto wondered. She couldn't remember the dream properly.

Otto must have been thinking for a long time, because by the time she had gotten out of her trance, she was already sitting with the others. She didn't even remember getting her food.

The day passed quickly for Otto. She didn't even listen to the explanation Ms. Gonzales was giving about merging human DNA to a plant's. She was still trying to remember about the details of her dream. No one seemed to notice his trance though.

No one but Wing. He was a little worried for his friend. Hoping to be able to talk to her later, Wing thought about what Otto could have been thinking about the whole day. Once they had finished dinner, Wing finally decided to ask what his friend was thinking about.

"Hey Otto, may I ask you something?" Wing asked, as Otto plopped down on his bed.

"What is it Wing?"

"What have you been thinking about the whole day? I noticed that you were in some sort of trance when we were doing everything."

Otto closed his eyes, trying to remember what else she had come up with during her recollection.

"_skin was somewhat pale—_

"_pitter-patter of the rain—_

"_I'm—_

"To tell you the truth, I don't really remember. I had a dream, but I didn't remember anything about it when I woke up. I've been trying to recall what happened the whole day." She admitted.

"I see." Wing replied. "I hope that you'll be able to remember what happened soon."

"I hope so too Wing."

* * *

8D


	5. WHAT!

**Hi all! This is Maqui, and I'm back! I just came from Japan, and I've been really busy!**

**Billie: You haven't been busy. You just paused the story for reasons I don't know about.**

**Otto: She's right you know.**

**Maqui: SHUT IT! Or do you want me to feed you to SecretAgentPinkPony again?**

**Otto: *backing away***

**Maqui: Good ;D**

**Disclaimer!: I do not own anything from the book H.I.V.E. Everything belongs to Mark Walden**

**Warning: OTTO ABUSE.

* * *

**

Otto woke up to the alarm coming from her Blackbox. Apparently, it had the idea of reminding her what the day was that day.

"Holy. Mother. Of. All. Cr—"

"GOOD MORNING!!!!" Shelby exclaimed, crashing into their room. Ever since Otto had turned into a girl, Shelby had a habit of doing that. Today, however, she seemed even happier than she was before.

"The sun is shining (1)! Everyone's up! And you know what day it is today!" Laura continued, walking straight in and sitting on the body of the still asleep Wing. This did not have any affect on Otto's friend whatsoever, so instead, she kicked him off the bed.

Instead of having the effect Otto expected, Wing simply got up promptly, a slight smile on his face.

Otto could tell what they were thinking.

"You guys are going to enjoy my pain today, aren't you?"

"Yes." They replied in unison. Otto groaned and pushed Laura and Shelby out the door. Otto and Wing bathed and dressed, the female dreading every second bringing them closer to the horrible day ahead.

Soon, Otto expected, she would be moleste—assaulted by platoons of chocolates, flowers and freakishly large teddy bears. The perfect way to start the day.

Valentine's Day.

'_I just __**had**__ to be turned into a girl within the week of Valentine's Day. Does the world love screwing me?!'_(2)

In the first few seconds Otto had come down the stairs, around ten (Otto couldn't count; he could barely carry the gifts he had been assaulted with) boys pushed boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers into his face. Simultaneously, they said things ranging from "I really like you," to "Will you marry me?!" All of which freaked Otto out.

A lot.

The next few hours came and went, and not one second that passed was Otto not given glares from girls, or lovey-dovey looks from boys. Wing, who sat beside him, stayed impassive. However, Otto swore she saw flashes of small smirks whenever a person drooled at the sight of her. It was already getting at her nerves.

And the day had just started.

By lunchtime, Otto just knew that there were mounds of gifts in his room waiting to drown her. She had no idea how chocolates had been shipped to H.I.V.E., but she had a slight idea about who provided them. She could just sense that Franz was the mysterious provider, seeing as there were slight smiles in the corners of his large mouth. All his friends seemed to enjoy his pain. Even poor Nigel would let out a small laugh when Otto would trip with a mound of gifts that she had received.

While the group of friends ate, Otto was bothered three times with these exact phrases:

"Please accept my gift!"

"I LOVE YOU!!!"

"Please marry me!"

Otto banged his head on the table. She really couldn't concentrate anymore, and it was becoming a great deal for her. She felt like cracking.

Wing noticed the change in his friend, so he whispered something in the ear of the next suitor, and instantaneously, he ran away. Otto looked up and asked, "What'd you tell them?"

"I told him that you would be delighted to stick a fully-charged tazer up anyone's ass if they bothered you with anymore gifts." He said calmly, biting into his fish. "Oh, and to spread the word."

Otto looked at him with gratified joy. The look soon disappeared, however, when he looked at the table with Nero and the other teachers. He seemed to be _very_ much enjoying Otto's escapades for the day. The bas—

"Otto!" Nigel shouted, looking torn between exasperation and joy. He had left the table some time previously, and he seemed to be back with some news, good or bad.

"What is it?" Otto asked, standing up quickly. "There's been some bad news. Apparently, it wasn't the female DNA that screwed up the experiment." Nigel replied. "Apparently, there was really something wrong with the machine itself."

"Meaning?"

Nigel seemed to be juggling on the option of telling her or not.

"What is it?" Shelby asked, looking at Nigel with anticipation. "Yeah, what is it?" Laura asked as well. Nigel breathed in and said the next few words very quickly.

Too quickly.

"……… _What?_"

Nigel sighed. "You won't turn back into a guy for another week, or at least, until the Professor fixes the machine."

There was a brief silence, which allowed the nearby people to jam their fingers as far into their ears as possible.

"WHAT?????!!!!!"

* * *

**(1) I don't actually know if the sun actually does shine in H.I.V.E., but it sure annoys Otto a lot!**

**(2) Yes.**

**R and R!**

** This site hasn't sent me a confirmation email yet, so yes, I am still piggyback riding on my sister's account 8D**

**OC's in the next chapter!**

**Ja ne!**


	6. Nothing Normal Here

**Hi all! this is Maqui again, with a new chapter! AND GOOD NEWS! My account is finally working, so I won't have to piggy-back ride on my sister's account anymore! 8D**

**DISCLAIMER: NOTHING BELONGS TO ME. ALL CHARACTERS AND THE LIKE BELONG TO MARK WALDEN.**

**8D

* * *

**

Being alive for more years than Professor Pike could remember, he had experienced many complaints, all ranging from extra-long homework, to prototypes gone awry. However, this was the only time that he felt like cringing in fear because of a woman.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WON'T TURN BACK INTO A GUY?!!!" Otto asked (or rather, shouted) to the Professor. He regained his composure, only to be attacked by a glare that spoke volumes. He collected some courage, and finally spoke. "I mean exactly what I mean. Or at least, what Mr. Darkdoom Jr. said." Professor Pike straightened his glasses, which had gone askew. "There was a strange mix-up in the machine's internal control unit (1). The female DNA had simply added to the length of your female transformation."

Otto was silently fuming. She knew that the Professor was brilliant, but it didn't excuse him from being irritating whenever he made mistakes. Otto tried to keep her temper down, so as she spoke, there were quivers of complete hate.

"So what you're saying is that I WON'T TURN BACK INTO A BOY FOR ANOTHER WEEK?!"

"Y-yes." Professor Pike said meekly, as Otto stormed out of his lab.

* * *

Wing was worried. After Otto's recent outburst, she had disappeared to God-knows-where. He looked in the most likely places: The library, their room, and the different labs scattered across the school. Wing sighed. _'Try thinking of the most unlikely places. Otto may not be thinking logically at the moment.' _His inner-voice said. Wing started walking once more, thinking of the most unlikely places.

Wing didn't need to think much longer; a strange sound, almost like a crash, resounded from one of the empty classrooms he passed by.

Caught off-guard by the sound, Wing peeked inside the room. The second he looked inside, Wing knew that his "mission" was over.

Otto had been taking her anger off on the things in the room. Whether she was allowed to or not, she didn't seem to care. Something flew right past Wing's ear, surprising him at most.

"Otto?" he asked hesitantly. Otto seemed to have stopped her slight rage, because Wing saw her heaving large breaths. He came closer and put his hand on her shoulder. Otto not pushing it off was a good sign for Wing. She turned around, looking quite anxious. "Are you….." Wing stopped his question; he already knew what Otto was feeling, so it would have been best not to ask something stupid like that.

"This is just so annoying!" Otto finally said, after a few moments of silence. She walked to the few remaining tables in the room and sat on it. "I'll have to endure being a girl for one more week! I just want everything to be back to normal."

"Would you really?"

Otto looked to her friend. He had a blank look, but the look spoke volumes. "If everything were normal, we wouldn't enjoy life itself. It would be extremely boring." Wing looked at her straight in the eye. "Also, if everything _were_ normal, H.I.V.E. wouldn't have existed, and we would never meet each other. You wouldn't meet Laura Shelby, Franz or Nigel either. You would be out there, doing God-knows-what."

Otto sighed. She knew that arguing would be useless now.

"That's not what I meant, but you're right. I guess this is kind of fun," she said, looking at her current form. "Having something like this isn't your everyday routine."

Wing gave a rare, meaningful smile. "Nothing is normal." He said. "At least, not at H.I.V.E." Otto laughed a little, and looked at the demolished classroom.

"At least I used an unused classroom." She said, jumping off the table she was sitting on.

She walked up to Wing, who asked, "So what'll you do about the love-struck stalkers?" Otto smiled, and replied, "Nah, I'll be fine. As long as you're around making kick-ass threats for me, I'll be fine." Wing chuckled a little. "Am I that good?" he asked, the two of them walking out the room. "Maybe you are, _buddy_." Otto replied, lightly punching his arm.

Otto and Wing walked back to the atrium, and to everyone's relief, Otto was smiling. The duo walked passed everyone, having a small conversation with Laura and Shelby, and went back to their room.

As Wing went to the bathroom, Otto lay down on her bed. She was starting to get used to her female form, but she tried to shake it off. She was not attaching to it, no way. However, a small nagging voice in his head kept on asking, _"Are you sure?" _

"I honestly don't know." She said to herself. "I honestly don't know."

* * *

**(1) I honestly don't know what I was talking about, so feel free to correct me and suggest better terms for whatever I said!**

**Oooohh.....**

**The plotless story thickens.......**

**8D**


	7. The New Kids In Town

**NEW CHAPTER!!!! WAHAHAHA!!!!!**

**And this one might actually lead to a plot, it makes sense, and there isn't much about Otto's girl-ness (gasp)**

**DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO MARK WALDEN, EXCEPT FOR RIN NANAMI, MEL TARUC, FELIX GRANTS AND MARKUS WALLER II. They are my OCs

* * *

**

The next day, some new students were going to join the H.I.V.E. family. New students from different countries were arriving left and right, making Otto and the gang as confused as ever.

"Man, I was confused enough when we met the other students, but now this!" Laura complained, accidentally bumping into a teacher.

"Whoops, sorry Miss— Oh, Miss Brand! I've been looking for you and your friends." Miss Gonzales said. Wing's eyebrow rose inquisitively. "You see, there are too many new arrivals today, and we can't really spare many teachers for their induction briefing and tour around the school. So I'm assigning you four to help us with some... _excited _students (1)." Miss Gonzales smiled suspiciously. "_Good luck._"

Miss Gonzales called out to the crowd in the atrium. Four students emerged from the ruckus, smallish and nervous. However, one student was completely stoic. He did not seem to be affected at all by the confusion.

"I would like to introduce you to Nanami Rin," she said, pointing to a young girl with straight black hair. "Mel Taruc," a caramel skinned girl with a lopsided smile. "Felix Grants," a tall… person who they couldn't tell the gender of. "And Markus Waller II." She finally said, pointing to the stoic boy that looked like the geek who created the new Star Trek movie (2), except with browner hair, less cheekbones, and thinner eyeglasses (3). Ms. Gonzales smiled, and spoke to the group.

"These four," she said, addressing Otto and friends. "Will take you around H.I.V.E. for the short tour. And remember what I told you about them, and one of their current situations." Otto groaned, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "Oh, and all of you get to have the day off school, seeing as you eight will be busy."

"But this will only happen **once**." She said, addressing the fabulous four. Miss Gonzales walked away without another word.

There was a short, awkward silence between the eight of them, until Felix Grants summoned up some confidence. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Felix, as you know, and I'm from America." Rin cottoned on, and said "I'm from Japan." The stoic boy said "London." But the other girl, Mel, didn't seem to notice. She caught their looks. "Whoops, sorry. Sort of drifted off, I guess." Mel gave the lopsided smile once more. "I'm Mel, and I'm from the—"

"MWAH, MWAAAAH, MWAH!!!!" the bell rang, and their introduction was cut short.

The fabulous four led them first to the Hydropondics facility, like they had been. "H.I.V.E. is pretty much a self-assisting facility, with some manual kinks." Shelby started. They walked over the forest-like structure, Rin looking amazed. _She's interested in plants._ Otto thought, looking at her ecstatic expression. They moved off the catwalk and on to the currently active classes. Mel smiled when they made a quick tour of the labs, and Felix looked astonished at the fully-fledged facility of the Tactical Education department. Markus, however, was as impassive as ever. The only time he showed any emotion was when they passed by the library. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. Otto just knew that he would enjoy it there.

Soon enough, they headed to the Quartermaster. Before they entered, Laura said, "We'll just issue you uniforms here. I'm not yet sure if we'll be allowed, but let's hope for the best."

She turned to the door of the Quartermaster and asked, "HIVEmind, this is Laura. May we come in? The new students need their uniforms." The familiar voice replied. "Of course you may, Miss Brand. Access granted."

The doors slid apart to show the room the fabulous four went to a year ago. It was as bright as ever, and HIVEmind was already floating there, small fitting rooms open. Mel was astounded. A bright blue light flashed, and they had to blink out the small bubbles in their vision. "Measurements complete." HIVEmind said, and the doors to the cubicles opened. Looking excited (even Markus) they entered, leaving the fabulous four to have time to talk.

"They are an interesting group." Wing said, looking amused. "A little bit like us." Otto said. "Markus even reminds me of Wing when we first met, except Wing actually _talked_."

"Well, at least they gave tell-tale signs of what they were interested in." Shelby said. "Yeah, it also seems like Rin will be good friends with Nigel." Laura replied. "At least she's not bald." Wing retorted, allowing the others to laugh a little. The cubicle doors opened, revealing four newly suited H.I.V.E. students. "Looks like you're ready to go. And on time too." Otto said. They all headed to the dining hall for lunch, the new students looking apprehensive.

* * *

**LOL**

**Well that was quite abrupt. I promise though, they won't be Mary Sue, or the male counterpart.**

**(1) This will be explained in the later chapters**

**(2) JJ Abrams**

**(3) Ahem, :D You all know who **_**he **_**is.**

**8D**


	8. THEM

**Hi all! Finally, this is done!!! Oh, my sister (Billie the Fourth Sage) wrote the part outside of H.I.V.E. and a little bit of the part in H.I.V.E., so THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!**

**Here, the plot has almost revealed itself, so EXCITEMENT!!!! Oh, and someone unexpected back, so beware.**

**DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING BELONGS TO MARK WALDEN. ONLY MY OC's (Mel, Felix, Rin, Markus, and **_**Miss Mary**_**) BELONG TO ME. I OWN NOTHING ELSE.**

* * *

"Oh, really? That's great, Mel. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Don't worry, they won't know."

The woman hung up as soon as all was said and done, and backed away from the luggage counter just as she pulled a royal purple bag off the table. The woman, age indeterminable, though a snatch at thirty, looked left and right before walking on and out of the station.

_**You're being followed. **_

"I know." She murmured.

Edinburgh was a fascinating city, and the sights of the old buildings and proud men in kilts greeted the newcomer, back grounded by the sound of bagpipe tunes floating across the way.

The woman made her way to the nearest bookstore, stopping by a shelf presenting a number of graphic novels and a conspicuously placed kama sutra guide.

"_We have her cornered." _

"_All right. Charge on my order."_

It was then that three people in identical gray coats walked up to the woman. "Excuse me, ma'am." One greeted with a native accent. "Yes?" The woman looked at them with kindly, brown-black eyes.

"Would you happen to be Miss Mary?"

"Why yes, my second name is Mary. Do I—" the woman cut off, just as a knife was jabbed into her chest. She looked down with shock.

Even as she did, her head slumped over, her black-brown hair mussed on the man's shoulder. The man in question opened communication. "We've done it, sir." He said.

On the phone, a voice sounded out. "Job well done. Leave before you're noticed."

"Roger that." The man replied, his voice never above a whisper.

"Oh, it seems like Miss Mary's fatigued." The woman next to him said loudly, putting a hand on the dead woman's shoulder. "We should bring her back home, John."

"Right you are, Jane." Said the man John, angling the brunette so that she seemed like she was leaning on him for support. "Jacob, bring Miss Mary's things."

The taller man, Jacob, nodded and took the royal purple bag and led Mary out, pulling her to the nearest alley.

"We'll bury her in the gardens tonight." Said John gruffly. "We have what we need."

"Oh, John, I thought we were going home. Thank you, by the way, I really was fatigued."

That was the last they heard before Miss Mary pulled the knife out of her bosom and stabbed John in the leg, pulling a roundhouse kick on the other two, knocking them unconscious in less than a second's count.

John was groaning on the cobblestones. Mary walked over, kneeling beside the man. "Oh John, are you fatigued now too?" She snatched the knife from his leg, earning a pained holler and a jerk in the leg.

Miss Mary pointed the knife to his throat. "Who sent you?" She demanded quietly.

John glued his mouth shut and stared at her defiantly. She brought the knife down lower, much lower.

"So what was that? Do I hear a letter? A few letters? Sapporo (1), perhaps?" She pushed the blade closer. The man shook his head quickly. "Oblivion? Garrote?" She listed names, each one answered with the shake of a head as she nicked thin scars where it hurt.

"…. G.L.O.V.E.?"

The man nodded desperately. She loosened her hold, putting the knife away.

"Ah. All right then. Thank you for your time. I know you won't try to follow me again, because you've just revealed to me your client. And in doing so, you're now on their hit list. They'll find it easier to track you than you will to track me, so I suggest that once your buddies wake up, you find a safe cottage somewhere far from civilization and make up six more identities. That'll keep them off your backs for a while, maybe even as long as it matters."

She stood up, flipping the knife with the showmanship of a pro. "Take my advice, John."

Miss Mary then picked up her royal purple bag, pulled a foam pillow out of her coat, and disappeared in the winding streets of Edinburgh.

* * *

Apparently, showing Felix the ropes was unnecessary, since it seemed as though it was Felix showing THEM the ropes. Particularly the really high ones, hanging above the whole cavern and deep water deal. Since neither could tell what side of androgyny Felix belonged to, both the boys and the girls contented themselves with drooling over the nimble and apparently sexy stunts pulled by the flexible teen.

After one that comprised of two somersaults, a hand spring off one of the cavern cliffs and a wall flip with the rope strategically tied around Felix's leg, the teen landed safely on the other side and flashed a smile at the spectators.

Those who did NOT get affected (e.g fainted, screamed like a rabid fangirl, complete with mouth foam, or fell off the cliff) …. (also e.g Wing, Shelby and the teachers) simply stood there, jaws dropped dangerously wide.

Once people had recovered from their awe, they gathered up the courage to bombard Felix with questions.

"First of all," Felix said. "I'm a GIRL."

Jaws dropped once more, as disheartened fangirls walked off dejectedly. The rest who stayed, however, flooded her with more questions.

"How did you do that?" inquired one of the teachers. Said teacher was pushed over by a rabid fan _boy_, who openly begged for her hand in marriage. Said boy was kicked off the conveniently placed cliff near them. No one took heed.

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"You were amazing! Please be my roommate!"

"MARRY ME!!!!"

Otto and her friends stood near the crowd, currently assaulting Felix with their queries. "Impressive." Wing said. "In a mere thirty minutes, Felix has become extremely famous." "At least it's not me this time." Otto said, flipping her female hair. She froze at that, and Shelby, Wing and Laura started to laugh. Well, in Wing's case, he grinned widely, seeing as he was not very capable of laughing loudly (not that we know of, anyway).

"You're connecting with the girl part of your heart Otto!" Shelby said in a mystical way. "You mustn't resist fate! You are becoming a real girl!"

"What's the difference there?" Laura asked. There was a second and a half's silence, before everyone started laughing hysterically.

"What's with the commotion?" Felix asked, approaching the group. Apparently, her fan club had left, seeing, as she was well alone. "Oh, nothing much, just the abuse of transsexual jokes." Otto said, hitting a laughing Wing hard. He did not mind.

"Oh right, your, err…. _situation_." She said awkwardly. There was an odd silence, until Felix asked, "Hey, where'd the others go?"

"Oh. Well, Rin's with Nigel. They both like plants, so it's fate that they'd hang out. Mel's probably in one of the labs, and Markus is probably in the lib—"

A sudden bang caught their attention, as the fabulous four and Felix fell because of the huge aftershock. "What the heck?!" Felix exclaimed. There was an animalistic roar somewhere nearby.

"Oh crap, don't tell me." Otto said.

"What, what is it?" Felix asked, hoping for at least a little sense in the situation.

"Violet?"

"Violet." Was the confirming word.

* * *

**(1) S.A.P.P.O.R.O.: Secret Agent Pink Ponies Ominously Ravaging Otto XD (inside joke, refer to HIVE forum)**

**Ooooohhh, the plot unfolds. And VIOLET'S BACK!!!!! GAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
**


	9. Ring Around the Rosies

**New chapter!!!**

**Ooooohhh.... old "friends" come back, and new terrors may unfold!**

**My sister wrote most of the chapter (duh) so kudos to her! **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING, EXCEPT FOR MY OC's**

* * *

As the giant vines crawled into the cavern, many students screamed in terror, causing much chaos and dismay. That was, of course, until Felix had caught their attention.

"**HEY!!!" **she shouted, causing everyone to freeze. "If anyone except for us five," gesturing to her and the fabulous four. "Doesn't line up and get out of here, I'll personally find that their last experience is feeling the delightful burn of experimental digestive plant acids."

Suddenly, they found themselves almost completely alone, with the exception of needed teachers. Also in the vicinity, were—

"Rin! Nigel!" Otto exclaimed, walking fast towards the two. Instead of joy, she felt anger.

"What the hell is that?! Why the hell is Violet—" "Rosie. Its name is Rosie." Rin said, half-indignant, half-nervous.

"You mean you made _another_ plant monster?" Wing asked a hard expression on his face. "It's a hybrid! Besides, we took all the necessary and unnecessary precautions! This shouldn't have happened!" Nigel exclaimed. "We honestly don't know what happened." Rin added. Otto sighed. "So how do we kill this thing? And it **better **not be as hard as last time."

"Last time?" Felix wondered.

"This happened before. We'll explain later." Nigel said quickly. "Sleepers might work, she's not as strong as Violet. It won't kill her, but it will slow her down."

"Good enough for me." Said Shelby, heading to the hydroponics lab. When they arrived, they were relieved somewhat. Rosie was a tad smaller than Violet, and a lot less threatening. Maybe it was because of the fact she was from a rose, but her teeth looked soft, and she wasn't as fast as Violet. However, she was fast when it came to capturing small prey with her elongating brambles.

A large number of guards were there, holding flamethrowers and the like. Most of them didn't work, except for the sleepers, which slowed its thorns for some time. Unfortunately, the flamethrowers were doing nothing to better the situation; it only proved to aggravate the plant hybrid.

"You'd think by now, Dr. Nero would have come around to see what all the trouble's about." Otto said suddenly, looking around for a sign of the headmaster and his ambiguous retainer.

"I heard they left for an important meeting in Slovakia." Markus entered, looking quite stressed as he took one root to tip look at Rosie. "Um…. So anyone know how—"

"We're working on it!" A holler echoed off the ceiling. There on the upper wall, Felix and Shelby had already begun scaling the sidewall.

It was then that the final of the newer four appeared on the bridge above the lab. "What the heck is going on—" Mel wasn't able to finish her sentence as a bud twice her size extended from Rosie's main bloom and clamped down on her arm.

"Oh sheeeeeet."

With a yelp, Mel dropped from the bridge, half her body caught in the tight gripping petals forming one of Rosie's mouths. Soft as they were, there was no appeal in slipping further into the monster's metaphorical throat and finding the grinding thorns that would help the digestion process.

She struggled for a second, with the others shouting, Shelby and Felix jumping onto the separate heads of Rosie's extended vines.

Slowly, Mel was pulled into the pulsing bed of petal, not even the shots of sleepers slowing the movement. "HELP HER! SHELBY, HELP HER!" Laura shouted, setting one of the sleepers to full throttle.

Shelby made a move to leap onto the offending head, but already, Mel was pulled into the mouth.

Everyone watched in horror as the form of Mel, which could be seen struggling from inside the tight walls of the slithering vines, stopped moving altogether.

It was just then that the plant began choking.

The entire time, Rin was silent, watching closely Rosie's reaction, one that consisted of the plant crackling slowly from the throat, the soft, strong plant limbs shattering before them.

Shelby and Felix had the presence of mind to jump off at the last second before the plant heads they were riding cowgirl on fell with a sickening thump to the floor, cracking black at the bottoms.

Finally, the head, which had been in the middle of mechanical digestion, drooped over the bridge, its bud lips loosening and dropping the weight it carried.

"GANGWAY!!!"

Mel, body still intact, digestive fluids and all, dropped heavily on Markus, earning a few more sickening cracks.

"MEL! You're okay!" Laura got to her first, with Wing and Otto following closely, both focusing on the dead hybrid rose.

"How did you do that?" Wing asked directly.

Mel got up, continually apologizing to Markus, who now sported a broken wrist, and answered shortly. "I dehydrated it. Took a lot out of me. Better get to the infirmary." She said, panting.

"Wait a minute! How did you dehydrate the entire plant?" Otto demanded. Mel shrugged, holding a hand over her head. The next thing that happened left Otto dripping wet on the floor, having been given a shower equivalent to Rosie's body fluids in pure water.

"That also happens to be the reason she's here." Rin said in passing. "Come on, Mel. You've got some burns to treat. Markus needs that wrist checked, and Felix might have a sprained ankle."

Felix walked over. "I don't feel anything wrong." She said, looking confused. Rin kicked her solidly in the ankle. "SH-FU-DA-CR- YOU!!!!"

And with that, and a few confused looks from the ones who saw the whole thing unfold, the four made their way to the infirmary.

* * *

Bandaged over most of his face, a man sat in a local coffee shop, reading a paper with intent. He remained undisturbed, though people who passed gave him a strange look as any would a man who could only be identified by his thin eyes and mouth showing from between strips.

A woman nearby bought a cheesecake slice on the display and took a seat in front of him.

"Glad to see you in one piece, Wu." Said Miss Mary in a moderate tone, her last word a whisper.

"Howard Carter." Said the other quietly.

"Of course, _Howard_." Mary affirmed. "Mary." She added, taking a swig from a flask she bought at an Edinburgh gift shop. "What happened to you?" She asked.

"A truck collision. Got most of my face razed by a gas leak consummating a union with a spark on the road." Howard replied. "Ah. Well then, at least you're still alive." Mary said slowly, spooning a cherry off her cake.

"I found an old friend. Said he might join us sometime soon. Just waiting for him to get back." The male informed her casually, sipping his coffee. "Slovakia, I'm guessing?" Mary said, taking a bite from the juicy cherry.

"Suppose." Howard said slowly. "Max. That's good. Sure he'll be willing to join us, though? I mean…"

"There has to be some trust among friends, Mary." Howard said meaningfully.

"That's why you know me so well, old friend."

They got up and gave each other a long hug, in which whispers seemed irrelevant to the passing civilian.

"My son is under his protection, and so is your sister, Jun. He's the only reason I'm still alive today. I can vouch for him."

"I hope your good judgment won't fail you, Wu. I've already lost you once, and I don't intend to watch my own death a hundred times over in my friends."

With a pat on the bandaged man's back, the woman went back to the seat, picking up from where he left off, reading an article about an explosion near an airport in Slovakia.

* * *

**GASP.**

**Cypher is "good" (in H.I.V.E. terms) now!!!!!**

**IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: A bunch of frogs - errr...... a chorus of singers sing "Stand By Me"!**

**Muahahahaha........**

**And what are the new four planning? The plot thickens....  
**


	10. Do You Hear The People Sing?

This time, I wrote the chapter XD ----Billie

I own nothing that already belongs to Mark Walden.

* * *

"_Doo-doo, dududoo doom, dududoo doom, dududoo doom, dududoo doom, dududoo doom, dududoo doom, dududoo doom,"_

"_**When the night-" **__"Night!" __** "has come." **__"Ooo-oo-oooooh!"__** "And the land is dark." **__"Bap!"__** "And the moo-oo-oon, is the only- light we'll see...." **_

Otto, Wing, Shelby and Laura walked into the infirmary to be greeted by the riffing voice of a singing Felix, with Markus and Mel singing background.

"_**No I won't!- Be afraid!" **__"Hooo-oooh-oooh!"__** "No I woooon't be afraid.... Just as long, as you stand.... stand by meeeee." **_Felix gestured exaggeratedly. "_**SO DARLING, DARLING, STAAAANND- BY ME! WHOA-OH STAND BY ME! WHOA-OH STAAAAAND, STAND BY ME. STAND BY ME." **_

She threw her arms out, and at the end of everything, the four newcomers clapped slowly, unsure of what the flying muffins just happened.

Rin, casually seated at the side, was reading a botany guide, undistracted by the distinct hullabaloo of the singing trio. "Hey, Rin..." Laura walked over. The girl didn't even look up. "Rin!" Laura touched her shoulder, and the girl finally looked up. She put up an index finger, then pulled some cotton balls out of her ears.

"Heya, Laura."

"We—Otto, Wing, Shelby and I— Wanted to ask you what happened that caused Rosie to break out in the first place." Laura said seriously. Rin looked down at her botany guide and looked up at Laura again, blinking a few times.

"Well, I saw Nigel's old formula for Violet, you know? And he made all the precautions and stuff. Believe me, there was even supposed to be a poison administered to Rosie's system if she ever got past the limits of the dome we put her in. I just reviewed Nigel's notes on her; the teachers gave him permission with this experiment since Rosie wasn't even supposed to be sentient. But when I went to check on her..." Rin waved her hand vaguely.

"**How **did it happen, Rin?" Otto said, serious lines etched across the still feminine face. Rin frowned. "I fed her some fertilizer I synthesized. I didn't know it would be that bad, okay? I tried it on normal plants, all it did was give them fuller color and make them grow a foot or two." As she said it, her eye twitched in irritation. "I wanted to— Rosie looked so lovely and I.... Well.... PLEASE don't tell the teachers." She begged quietly, eyeing the orderlies and medical staff passing by.

"The damage wasn't all that serious to anyone other than your friends, and I suppose the crisis was averted before it got too out of hand." Wing said. Otto nodded wearily. "Fine." She conceded. "But don't do anything that stupid again. The last time this sort of thing happened.... well let's just say HIVE has seen much better days."

She and the other three nodded their heads quick as you like, before the latter three settled down with another belting chorus from the Les Mis musical.

"_**Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!" **_

_**

* * *

  
**_

Bratislava airport was alive with the news spreading all over about the plane crash only a walk away from the place it was supposed to land at. The pilot was found dead as well as a few crew members, but no passengers were found on the small jet. The only survivors said not a word, speechless from what authorities concluded was shock.

No one noticed the figures stealing quietly away from the area in opposite directions, and no one ever suspected that the following vehicles were hot in pursuit of the very passengers MIA from the crash-landed aircraft.

* * *

Dr. Maximilian Nero was troubled, to say the very least. He had held his own well enough for this long, but being parted from Raven gave him a sense of vulnerability, out on the streets of Slovakia at quarter to eleven in the evening. It had been a week since the alleged accident involving the crash, and the same number of days since he and his trusted guard had separated. They had agreed to a meeting place which he would travel to in another week (two weeks from their separation) but it was imperative that he kept moving, in fear of being tracked by whoever had caused that crash.

He wasn't stupid; years of experience told him that a GLOVE jet couldn't possibly crash by accident, especially one that was treated with the most advanced equipment and resources pulled from both HIVE and GLOVE.

It was getting late, but there were still a few people around, leaving the popular bar and red lights district he'd passed and going in the same direction as he, though not quite as steady on their feet, having drunk one shot too many.

People looked out from windows, disappeared into alleyways, shut doors; every sound was startling, though it only served to keep Maximilian alert for any signs of someone trailing him.

He passed by a few lit restaurants, already closing up shop, and a few bars that kept open for the customers of late, one of which exited as he passed. He quickened his pace subtly, and so did the woman who fell into step alongside him.

"Don't look now, but those drunk Russians don't look like good company." The girl murmured, taking a whiff from her cigarette. Maximilian recognized that voice. He turned to look at the face of the woman 'stalker' who followed him from the bar. "Come on, Max. I still have the mole in the same place, I left at least that much of a clue. And by the look on your face, I'm flattered you recognize an old student." The woman whispered, disguising her words with a foggy blow from the lit-up fag. (1)

"I was worried you were here to kill me." Max said to her. "A while back, it would have been the only thing on my mind, and if you're as faithful to Number 1 now as you were the last time we met, it still is." Was the reply.

"His faith in me is wavering, and after all that's happened.... all that I've learned... mine lies in no one now."

"Except in Xiu Mei."

"Except in Xiu Mei." Nero affirmed. After a few moments of listening, Maximilian realized that, indeed, the drunk Russian couple was still close by, even as far as he'd walked.

"Over there. It's our mutual friend." The woman dropped the cigarette and crushed the light underfoot, pointing to the figure standing on the bridge, thin parka hood shadowing his face.

Maximilian's eyes darted back. "And out mutual enemies, as it seems."

They saw the assembling group, including the 'drunk' Russians, a few men crossing in from the alleyway, a few women from the intersecting streets. It was not obvious, not to a passerby, that there was trouble crowding right up to the bridge.

They met up with the standing man, who only said one word, one word of advice that they all followed quickly.

"They're running! After them!!!" One of the dozen yelled, and they bolted in pursuit of the three.

Corner after corner of the winding streets they were followed, and by then, the clocks already read half past eleven, the dark streets lit only by the meager beams of moonlight and the occasional street lamp.

The pursuers followed the figures till the main street, where few people were, but enough to have caused confusion.

Passers by stared at the procession of people who emerged from the alley way. Shops were closing up, a few hooligans smoking whatever it was by the public bins, a few homeless setting up to sleep. Movement in the alleyway to the alert pursuers only provided them a view of two vigorous lovers that they, perhaps, could have gone without.

One almost tripped over a homeless woman who glared at them from under half lidded eyes, as a dog eyed them with the same weary wariness.

"We've lost them." One finally concluded after a while.

"They must have escaped through the connecting streets. Split up." Another ordered.

The lot of them dispersed, finally leaving the main street.

At that point, when the clock reached quarter to midnight, a homeless person blanketed by a cardboard box got up, removing ragged clothes and picking up a royal purple bag hidden under the trash. From the alleyway, the two 'lovers' brushed themselves off, and all three of them set off to find where Maximilian had agreed to meet his most trusted retainer, away from the mercenaries and probable assassins whom they'd lost in the dark streets of Bratislava.

* * *

(1) By fag, I OBVIOUSLY mean cigarette.

Author's Notes: For those who hadn't guessed yet, the two others were Miss Mary and "Howard Carter" aka Cypher aka Mao Fanchu aka Wu Zhang aka Wing's dad 8D *gasp*

And also, the 'lovers' in the alleyway were NOT Maximilian and Miss Mary 8D

8D

8D

8D

**8D**

..... ANYWAYS.

We have no idea what Slovakia looks like, so sorry if we made any mistakes....

REVIEW PLEASE 8D Reviews screw Otto's life. AND YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT. BAD.


	11. Target Acquired

**HI ALL! It's Maqui again!!! Oh, and kudos to my sister who wrote most of the chapter!!!!! 8D**

**Anyway.... YES The Woman Thing has a plot!!!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING WHATSOEVER. MARK WALDEN OWNS ALL  
**

* * *

"Yes, I know. Jeebus, you make it sound so.... yeah, I get it. Yeah, I'll have it done. I'll tell the others when I get the chance."

Shelby's steps were silent as soon as she heard the first word echoing in the corridor. She recognized that voice.

She found Mel between the shelves of Mythology and History, leaning over the table with hands flat on the polished wood, head hung like a tired worker. "Yes, _Ate_, I know. But I don't want to hurt them. I know."

Shelby wanted to ask what was wrong, who she was talking to, but years of self-training drilled into her system kept her silent as a thief. As a wraith.

"I hope you make them pay. It doesn't matter if HIVE has to be the price. As long as you bring them down."

This voice was not Mel's, although Shelby watched the lips move, watched the eyes swivel. It came so naturally in volume and tone, but the voice, though Mel-like, was much deeper, something entirely new. Shelby felt something cold drop to the pit of her stomach. She edged away swiftly.

"Who's there!?"

Mel stepped around the corner, but the library was empty on that end. It was late. She shouldn't even be there. Her hand dripped on the library tile floor. "I suppose I'd better go rest." She muttered to herself, looking down at the puddle she'd caused on the floor.

There she spotted a shadow.

Turning on her heel, she shot something sharp to the top of the bookshelf.

"GEEZ!!!" Shelby threw herself off just as an icicle grazed her uniform, hitting bullseye to a portrait of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

"Shelby!?" Mel looked stunned, obviously not expecting the girl or anyone at all. "What the heck?"

"Who were you contacting?" Shelby demanded, warily sidestepping a shelf.

"What? I— Shelby, you thought I was— Shel, I was talking to myself." Mel said, looking around for the blond. "No, I heard— THAT WASN'T YOU. I'm telling the others. I am NOT letting you put my friends, or anyone else in HIVE in danger!"

Shelby took off at top speed, heading for the door. Mel was close behind.

"Shelby! Stop Shelby! Look—Shel!!!"

A crash sounded on the hallway, too far and too late for anyone to have heard.

"_**What are the orders?" **_

"_**Infiltrate. Take out the main security grid. Install virus into AI. Intercept the female clone." **_

"_**Very good." **_

_**

* * *

  
**_

"_Do you remember what your mother was like?" Asked the white-haired boy._

"_Very clearly. It wasn't too far back."_

"_Tell me. Tell me what a mother is like. I only know from TV. I don't trust media though." Said the little white-haired boy thoughtfully. _

"_My mother was very busy. She found time to play with me, but she always worked too. It was like magic when she took care of me every time I wanted her to be around. I always thought all mothers were magic that way, but my mother was the best there was."_

"_I don't have a mother. I thought that I'd remember her at least a bit, but I never had a mum. Or a dad." _

"_Everyone has a mother or father, even if they're orphans too." Said the Asian boy. _

"_Well I don't. I never did. I'm a__—__"_

"OTTO! WING! WAKE UP!!!"

"Wha—"

Otto jumped up first, opening the door to reveal a panting Laura.

"What is it, Laura?"

"I can't find Shelby anywhere. She snuck out. HIVEmind says he didn't count her when he did a headcount of those in accommodation area seven."

"But where— WING!" Otto rushed to his bed, kicking him out of it. "What is it?" Wing asked, very much awake.

"It's Shelby. She's missing!"

His eyes widened, and the three of them rushed to the atrium. When they tried to open the doors, their access was denied.

"HIVEmind! You gotta open the door!" Laura exclaimed. There was no response. "HIVEmind!" this time, Otto said, banging on the door.

Suddenly, there was an explosion.

"_**Target acquired." **_

_**

* * *

  
**_

Raven had caught sight of Dr. Nero from a few stories above the city streets, her shadowy figure no more conspicuous than any of the decorative stone beings around her.

Maximilian was walking slowly, passing closed shops and sitting placidly on one of the provided benches, looking restless.

Raven scanned the area for any suspicious characters before jumping down to meet him.

Nero looked behind him as she was a few steps away, once again showing his uncanny ability to know where she was.

"I'm glad to see you safe, Natalya." Nero greeted, sounding tired. Raven nodded. "I hope you're not hurt, Max." She said, concern etching her beautiful face.

"Not terribly. Although I did come across a few problems on the way here. You?"

"An assassin sect tailed me. Nothing big." She said dryly. The sect was the sort that had their customers paying through the nose to hire top quality killers who trained almost as well as Raven did.

Whoever their client, that person must have been very rich to have a dozen sent after her.

"I've called for one of our Shrouds to be sent here for pickup. We had better-"

Nero was cut off short when Raven suddenly spun the man around to her back and unsheathed her right sword, bringing it down on the intruder, whose presence only manifested from barely two feet away. Raven's senses should have picked it up much earlier.

The blade caught on something, the lightning speed disorienting both of them for a moment, before Raven realized that her blade had been caught on a cellphone.

"Hey, you could kill someone with one of those." The woman before her looked completely ordinary, and aside from the fact that she had Raven's light blade clenched in her old model phone, Raven didn't sense her a threat.

"It's all right, Raven. It's an old friend." Nero said quickly.

Raven sheathed her blade warily. "I blunted the blade on the small chance I was mistaken, but any sharper would have cut through your fingers like they were air. Why did you sneak up on us?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your conversation." Said the other airily. Raven eyed her, wondering who exactly she was up against.

"Oh, I forgot. My name is Mary. You can call me Juno."

* * *

**R n R PLZ!!!**


	12. Assail

**YES!!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME, I ACTUALLY FINISHED TWO CHAPTERS FOR TWO DIFFERENT STORIES ON THE SAME DAY!!!!**

**One for this story, and one for a story in my other account 8D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. MARK WALDEN OWNS H.I.V.E.  
**

* * *

Wing, Laura and Otto were knocked unconscious by the explosion. The strength of it broke down the heavy steel doors of the accommodation area. Otto started to come around, when she felt someone grab at her.

"What the— Let me go!" she said, trying her best to hurt whoever grabbed her. The man grunted; Otto may have hit him in the crotch. Taking no care for her, the brute hit her on the head.

The last thing that Otto saw was a large man leering at her face.

Wing and Laura woke up, when they heard an announcement ring all over the school

"_H.I.V.E. has been infiltrated. I REPEAT, H.I.V.E. has been infiltrated. All those outside their accommodation areas please return to your respective rooms, while the teachers and I sort this out."_

It was Pike's voice, as he was taking over for Nero since he left for Slovakia. The students who were asleep woke up to the announcement, and some screamed at the hole in the door.

Before Wing and Laura could gain control of the situation, Shelby grabbed them by the shoulders.

"Shelby— Wha-what are you doing here?!" Laura exclaimed in surprise.

"Can't say it. It's already begun. Where's Otto?"

Wing took a small amount of time to look at her. Shelby looked distinctively ruffled. It seemed that she ran across most of H.I.V.E. to get back to the accommodation area. She also seemed keen to find Otto.

"I'll explain now. Mel was talking to someone in the library about an infiltration in H.I.V.E. She stopped talking when she noticed me." Shelby said very quickly. "It seems as if the infiltration just star—"

"You're wrong."

Shelby, Laura and Wing turned around, only to see Markus behind them.

"Mel has nothing to do with _this _attack." He said calmly. "This is something completely different."

"How can we trust you?!" Laura exclaimed, pointing at his face. "How can we be sure that you're not in with Mel—?"

"Because he just said so." Felix said, appearing beside Markus. "This attack is completely different."

There was a ruffle of footsteps, as Rin was running back to the group. "Has it started?" she asked. By the looks on Markus and Felix's faces, nothing had gone right. Rin's eyes widened.

"Then that means… We have to find Mel!" she said.

"Wait just a second!" Wing exclaimed, holding onto Rin's shoulder. "Explain. What is happening here? Who are you three, really?"

"We can't explain now." Markus said. "The back-up doors are already kicking in. We'll explain while we look for Mel _and _Otto."

They started to run towards the extra doors of the atrium, which were closing faster than usual. And as usual, Laura tripped a little, causing her to fall. Wing ran back to her, and picked her up. She ran ahead, as Wing stood back up. When he looked at the doors, they were seconds from closing shut.

"Hurry!!" Rin shouted, outside the atrium. Wing's adrenaline kicked in, as he ran swiftly. When the doors were feet from closing, he slid past them, silently thanking the person who had polished the floor.

Before Wing could compose himself, however, Felix pulled him up.

"We have to go!"

Wing realized the urgency of the situation, and he ran to the others.

"So are you going to explain what's happening here?" He asked. Laura and Shelby closed in to listen.

"There was a planned attack on the school today." Markus started. "However, this isn't it. Mel's sister, Juno, planned the supposed attack. It was to scare off other people who wanted to get to Mel. She wanted to get them off her scent."

"But why would—" Laura was interrupted when Markus shot her a look.

"I'll explain _that_ story later." He said. "She and another person we don't know are in on this. Nero agreed to take us in because he received a message from someone he knew a long time ago, namely Juno. He accepted her and all of us for that reason. For her protection. He didn't know about the infiltration, though; Juno planned all of it out so that no more information would be leaked to the enemies. However, it seems as if someone else came here before Juno did. This whole assail could be a complete liability to the first atta— MEL!"

Markus was right. Mel was there, though it seemed as if she just got off a fight.

"It's Otto. She… She's been…" and she fell.

Rin and Felix ran to her, to catch her. Mel took giant breaths, when she noticed Laura, Wing and Shelby.

"What are they doing here?!" she asked, standing up almost right away. "Don't tell me that you—"

"I had to." Markus said. "If those assassins found Otto and not you…" he gave her an unreadable look. Mel looked shocked, then nodded.

"We have to find Otto quick, or else—"

Another crash and a scream caught all their attentions. Wing seemed to know exactly who that was.

"Otto!" he exclaimed, running to the source of the noise. The others followed behind him.

They came too late.

* * *

"Shit shit shit shit shit." Juno paced on the Shroud, holding her head in her hands. "What is it?" Asked the man at her back, his bandaged face hidden by a hooded jacket. Nero, too focused on returning to H.I.V.E., after the report the Professor had sent him, ignored them both for the time being.

"I can't contact Mel. Her mind is too closed off. She's too distracted. What if she…" Juno groaned and sat down in one of the chairs. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"You knew there would be an attack?" Raven demanded.

"No. I mean, not this. I planned to take Mel away from H.I.V.E. as a message to our enemies. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Max, but I needed as little information to be available as possible, and at the time, I had no solid reason to trust you, with all that G.L.O.V.E.'s been doing." Juno addressed Nero, her tired eyes reflecting her sincerity.

"I understand. But what happened, and why were you at Slovakia?" Nero asked.

"To look for you. You were supposed to be at the school when I planned the infiltration, but you were called away. I followed you, and I had to pick up a friend on the way." Juno nodded to the bandaged man.

"But with HIVE left unprotected, our enemies took the opportunity to attempt a kidnapping."

"Of Mel." Nero said, shaking his head.

"Who is that girl anyway, Juno? Why is she so important that they would risk HIVE, and ultimately GLOVE, against them?"

Juno scratched her head and sighed. "It's one hell of a story, Maximilian."

She began.

* * *

Otto woke up, when the man holding her seemed to jerk upwards. She realized that she was being carried into something quite invisible (most likely a stolen Shroud), and she also realized that she was being kidnapped.

"Let me go, you bastard!" she said, kicking him with her free leg. This hadn't done much; the man simply hesitated, then started to climb once more. Then, Otto did something she would never admit to do.

Ignoring all logical, possible solutions, she started to scream and make so much of a racket, hoping someone was nearby. The man tugged on her hair **hard**, and she screamed.

"Otto!" she heard. Someone was coming.

Before she could shout back, someone clamped a heavy gloved hand over her mouth and nose, shutting her up. Before she could shout for help, she was taken into the Shroud.

The corridor was a mess. Rubble from the ceilings was scattered al over the floor, which was cracked. Small wires jutted out from the rubble and boulders, still sparking. There was a layer of dust in the air, lowering Wing's visibility. Though one thing was certain:

Otto was gone.

* * *

**8D**

**R and R please!  
**


	13. Kidnapped

**Hello my little reader bunnies! Yes, it is time for your demise, for the next chapter is here!**

**If you've been waiting for this chapter, FORGIVE ME!!! The Internet cockroaches were at it again, and they broke off the connection of the internet in my dwelling. BUT DO NOT WORRY, FORSOOTH, I AM BACK 8D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.**

* * *

"Crap." Was all Pike could say as he got to where Wing and company were. The piles of rubble and stray wires were the only clues to Otto's abduction, and not even they had anything to say on the subject.

"That's all you can say?!" Laura exclaimed. "You-you're supposed to know what to do! Otto has been kidnapped for shit's sakes, and all you can say is 'crap'?!" "I'm trying to assess the situation!" Pike threw back. "Until Maximilian gets back, we honestly can't do anything except investigate, which is exactly what we're doing."

Though Wing was more pissed than he had been his entire life, he kept a relatively blank face. It was a force of habit, honestly. Try as he might, he was also assessing the situation. A steady stream of thoughts swam in his head, and none were too comfortable.

_Situation: Otto has been kidnapped_

_-is she trackable? Unknown_

_-is there any clue of who kidnapped her? Unknown_

_-can we do anything to help? Unknown_

His thoughts weren't helping at all.

Suddenly, Wing noticed something glint out of the corner of his eye. A small red gem was wedged in the middle of two large pieces of the demolished ceiling. As Laura, Shelby and Pike were bickering, he strode past the H.I.V.E. guards and bent down near the rubble.

The gem wasn't even the size of his thumbnail, yet it shone so brightly he was surprised no one had noticed. Sure, Laura, Shelby, and the Professor had their excuses, but the guards? It was too strange.

Wing picked up the little red stone, and held it up to the night sky (which was peeping through the hole in the ceiling). It stopped shining; it had lost its gleam. However, when he put it on the palm of his hand, it shone as brightly as ever. Wing was becoming confused.

Suddenly, he remembered a snippet of the lesson that they had with Pike before all the madness.

"_This," he started, taking something from his pocket. "Is a prototype tracker. It may look like a gem, but it is actually a sophisticated network which can make contact with the central nervous system."_

_Wing's interest subsided even more; he wasn't the type for technology. Leave that to Otto and Laura, he thought._

"_To put it simply, it can 'read your thoughts'. It can recognize an image of someone, or something, in your brain, and track the heat source down. However, since H.I.V.E. has only been able to develop prototypes, these little things can only flash brightly when the target heat source is nearby. Of course," he stopped a little, sounding disgruntled. "Some of them are defected; they work for a certain amount of time until they start twinkling out of whack. The H.I.V.E. labs haven't been able to sort that hitch out yet."_

That meant that someone _inside _H.I.V.E. had placed the tracker on Otto, and sold her to the creeps who kidnapped her!

Wing walked as fast as he could back to Pike; they were still arguing. Markus and the others had joined in as well.

"…she could be anywhere in the world! And yet you say you can't move at all?!"

"I'm not saying that we can't move, in fact, we're doing our best to find a lead!"

"Guys." Wing tried to catch their attention, though he failed miserably.

"Oh, so you haven't found a lead?! That's _really_ impressive you know, really—"

"H.I.V.E. guards are combing the entire scene, believe me! You six just need to wait and be patient!"

"Hello…" Wing tried to catch their attention once more, bearing the same results.

"Every passing second you waste could probably lead to Otto's annihilation! We can't spare any time, we have to at least try to look for her!"

"What do you think we're trying to do?! We're not sitting ducks right now; we're actually doing some—"

"GUYS." Finally, the seven verbal fighters snapped out of their quarrel. It suddenly felt quiet.

"I found this gem in the rubble. It looks like the tracking gem you were talking about before, sir." Wing said, handing Pike the small red stone. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Then that could mean…"

"Someone from inside H.I.V.E. practically sold Otto to whoever kidnapped him."

There was small silence, until Shelby spoke up. "What bastard would do such a horrible thing?" she muttered, though no one replied.

They found no answer to her question.

* * *

"I used to be part of a team under G.L.O.V.E. for Number One. We were developing clones." Juno began.

"It took us several tries with different prototypes, but each one failed at some point. They took blood from different people, but each one lacked something and we could never stabilize the formations. We got through about two-hundred and eight test tube babies before they decided to take my blood for testing.

"We were able to stabilize the growth of the clone once my blood was put in; apparently my long-term exposure to the material we were using for the clones made it easier for the clone to adapt. It grew to age thirteen in about six weeks. Once it was removed from the test tube, we realized that it lacked one thing Number One intended for it."

"And what was that?"

"He wanted it to age. When we removed the specimen from the container, it stopped aging physically. Mentally, it—she was only a baby, and we taught her things. Back then, each of us was assigned a name. I was M. I named the clone Mel."

Nero didn't interrupt, although the pieces were falling into place now.

"I got close. She was… Like… my little sister. And they wanted to experiment on her more. They wanted to hurt her, and it was far too late to modify her without consequences." Juno rubbed her face vigorously, fighting back an onslaught of tears.

"So I took her away. Hid her for a number of years. We traveled everywhere. They always found us somehow." She said wearily. "Finally I took a different road. I knew the only place safer than G.L.O.V.E. itself was H.I.V.E., and I remembered Maximilian from a long time ago, when we met while I worked on the project."

Nero nodded, indeed remembering the scientist.

"While I was planning with some other friends that I met up with, I bumped into him," she said, gesturing vaguely to the bandaged man behind her. He nodded to her. "He suggested that I bring her in as a student of H.I.V.E. I was going to tell you about the pre-set kidnapping, but you were in Slovakia. An unforeseen hitch in the road, but we had to threaten other agencies who wanted her. Bad." Juno sighed. "Since Mel needed extra protection, some of the kids of my friends volunteered to take part in the 'kidnapping'. That's where Markus, Felix, and Rin come in." she said, before Nero could ask.

"But what about now?" Howard asked. "You say that you can't contact her. How are you able to contact her mind directly?"

"It's simple really. I injected a microchip into my head, which could make contact with hers. However, the connection has been blocked off. That means that she's either unconscious or _very_ distract—"

Juno cut off. There was a silence in the Shroud, when Juno flicked one of the switches on her belt. It was a mini-speaker. Garbled noise came from it, until the voices came out loud and clear.

"—_Juno!"_

It was Mel. Juno sighed in obvious relief.

"Mel! Thank goodness, what happened? Your mind closed off for a bit—"

"_That's the thing. Apparently, someone found out about the kidnapping. Someone came here and tried to get to me."_

Juno swore in a different language. "What happened then? You're safe right? So all is good—"

"_Nope. We've got a worse problem here."_

"What is it?" Juno asked, the others listening with anticipation.

"_They mistook me for Otto, sis. They took Otto."_

_

* * *

_

_**8D**_

**Read and Review please!  
**


	14. Suspicions

**Oooh..... Otto's been kidnapped 8D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

"Who and why in all fuck's sakes would someone take Otto?!" Wing exclaimed. His companion's faces were still blank.

For the past few minutes, they had tried to contact Nero. With no luck, Mel disappeared, came back, and said that Nero was coming back with Raven, a friend, and her sister. How she had done it, they had no idea. Though they stopped worrying about that matter, when Pike found out that a prototype really _was_ stolen from one of the H.I.V.E. labs. That proved that someone did betray them and led to the kidnapping of― originally ―Mel.

"My sister's coming soon; she'll explain everything." Mel said, looking distracted. "In fact… she's coming as of―"

"MEL!"

Everyone looked to the direction of the shout. An older woman with brown eyes with brunette hair ran towards them. Nero, Raven, and an unfamiliar person followed her. The older woman ran to Mel.

"Are you okay?!" she asked Mel, clapping her hands on Mel's shoulders. "I'm fine." She replied. "I'm Juno, by the way." She said casually, to those who were listening. Nero, Raven, and the other man caught up to them, Nero with a particularly furious face.

"What happened here?!" Nero exclaimed. As Pike explained their situation, Wing and the others listened as Juno explained almost everything. When she was in the middle of explaining Mel's situation, Wing's eyes drifted to the bandaged man for a moment. Then he realized something.

"Where's Markus?" he asked. Everyone turned to him. He seemed to have disappeared. Rin's eyes widened. "What if…" her voice trailed off, as her eyes seemed to light up.

"What is it?" Shelby asked. "We didn't say it before… but Markus disappeared right before the explosion. In fact, I honestly don't trust him myself." Rin replied. Felix's eyes widened as well. "What if he planted the prototype tracker?!" she asked aloud.

"That can't be possible!" Juno said. "His father is my most trusted associate! In fact, he was even part of the group that_ made _Mel!"

"But the world is full of surprises."

The younger ones turned to the bandaged man. He was so familiar, but Wing couldn't recall where he had heard the voice before.

"That's true. Maybe it wasn't his father's will, but of his own accord." Nero said. "Yet we still have another unsolved question. To whom did he sell Otto? Plus, he knows Mel. How could he make the mistake of putting the tracker on Otto instead of her? He must have a different motive."

They fell silent. However, the silence was very quickly broken, when a H.I.V.E. guard ran to them.

"Sir! We were able to track down the destination of the Shroud that left H.I.V.E.!" he exclaimed. They all turned to him.

"Good work." Raven said, taking the coordinates. "All we need now is a team to―"

"I'm coming." Wing said automatically, a fierce look on his face. "I'm coming too." Laura said. Shelby just nodded. Rin, Felix, and Mel were about to agree, when Juno interrupted them.

"I'm not letting any of you go." She said, holding Mel's shoulder as if to emphasize her statement. "It's bad enough that you were almost kidnapped, but one of you may have been the traitor. I'm not allowing any of you to―"

"We're Otto's only hope. We know what we're facing, Juno." Mel said. "It's G.L.O.V.E., isn't it?"

Nero, Raven, and Pike's eyes widened. "But… why would G.L.O.V.E.―"

"We can't explain now." Rin said almost furiously. "We still have to make plans on how to get Otto."

Raven considered for a few seconds. "Fine." She replied. "But we need a more detailed plan for our operation."

* * *

When Otto came around to consciousness, she realized two things. One was that she was bound, blindfolded, and gagged in a stolen H.I.V.E. Shroud. The other thing was that she had just been kidnapped.

When Otto tried to wriggle free of her bounds, her attempts became futile when she realized that the ropes were expertly tied. Obvious enough. She crawled up to the side of the Shroud, and looked for a sharp edge, any jutting piece of metal that could cut her loose. After a few minutes of blindly searching, she felt one at her fingertips. The discovery had been painful; she made a short slash on her palm when she found it. '_I hope that the metal wasn't rusty.' _Otto thought, as she started to rub the ropes on the sharp metal. The ropes fell off after a while, allowing her to remove her blindfold. Before she could do so, however, she heard footsteps coming in her direction. Quick as a flash, she hid the severed ropes and pretended to be tied up.

"You honestly thought that you could escape without being noticed?"

A gruff voice came out from behind Otto, breathing down her neck. She felt thoroughly disturbed, not because of the closeness of the man, but because of the fact that she hadn't sensed the man before.

Said man seemed to have read her mind, because he gave a smug reply. "There are heat sensors in this room. We would've known if you were awake, asleep, or trying to escape, _my little clone_."

Otto's interest sparked. What did he mean by little clone?

The gruff man picked Otto up by her hair, earning a yelp of pain. "I wasn't ordered to go easy on you, but seeing as you have such a pretty face, I'll let you down easy."

The man dropped her onto the floor, and clipped something to her arms.

"These little things," he said, referring to what seemed like shackles or handcuffs, Otto couldn't tell. "Are special handcuffs that can shock the wearer with weak shocks of electricity whenever the wearer moves. Believe me, this is very light punishment, compared to what'll happen to you when you meet your murderers. Number One has been _dying_ to meet you and your creator. Sadly enough, she won't be with you when you're eradicated."

'_Wh-what does he mean…' _Otto wondered. She had a _very _bad feeling that there had been a grave misunderstanding. However, when she tried to make a move at the leering man, she gasped at the electric shock that ran throughout her body. _'That wasn't a weak shock!'_ she screamed in her head. Otto was very sure that the skin on her arms would be burnt off by the time they arrived at her doom.

She sensed the man leaving, and she sighed in relief. His leaving was probably the only thing comforting at that moment. However, she knew that she was still in a very deep situation. Obviously, the chains wouldn't come off with a sharp piece of metal, and the movements she would make would probably fry her skin, if not worse. Otto tried to think of any logical solution to her current predicament.

None came.

'_I hope they'll come for me.' _Otto thought, thinking of his friends, and hopefully enough, the headmaster and his trusted guardian. Otto tried to calm herself, and will the tears at the corners of her eyes to leave.

'_Stupid goddamned blasted puberty.'_ She thought, and she sighed. Otto wasn't very good at staying still, waiting for help to come, instead of helping herself.

Something crossed her mind.

'_The memory…' _she thought, as her mind finally drifted away, away to the dream she had only a few days ago. It felt like a thousand years ago…

* * *

**All right, the next chapter will be about Otto's memory-dream 8D**

**Though it may take some time to make, as I haven't actually made a reason why I made that memory in the first place ^^;**

**Read and Review!  
**


	15. Ad Memoriam

**Hello hello! I'm back, and with a new discovery! It turns out that I write best when I have _it_, that time for girls, and I can only write once a month! **

**Speaking of writing, I'm starting on a new story, it's still untitled, but I'm working on it. Me and my small group of fellow HIVE fans in the Philippines have been discussing a story to be posted here. **

**Anyways... happy reading!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING**

**~White Replica  
**

* * *

"_Oof."_

_The young boy tripped over an overgrown hedge. He groaned, and started to rub his foot, which was developing a bruise. He sighed, and stood up once more. Why in all places did they have to meet in the middle of nowhere?_

_He pouted when his eyes met with another pair; it was an acquaintance, or rather, friend, of his, if he were to go that far. The boy had been hanging out with that person for the past week without fail, so maybe he could go that far._

_Said person smiled apologetically when he saw the boy, in all his annoyed glory. "Sorry about the rough trip." He said. The boy grumbled. "Why do you live so far out anyway? You don't have to stay in these parts of the city, it's not sensible, you know."_

_The other sighed. "My master and trainer wanted me to train here for a while. He told me not to go into the town itself, so I'm staying right here in the woods nearby." He countered. _

_The other boy was not convinced._

"_Hmph. I just think it's insensible. Besides, who in the right mind would leave a kid in the middle of a small forest?"_

"_Hansel and Gretel's parents would." The friend answered. "And this is survival training, if you must know. I'm supposed to train my self-control and discipline."_

"_How's that?"_

"_My trainer left me here, really near to food, residences, and things like that. He's trying to see if I'll escape to the safety of those places, or stay here and survive like he told me to."_

"_I suppose that's a good way of training you." The boy said, sitting down with the other. "Though how long is he keeping you here?"_

"_If it's already been a week, then about three more days. Why?" the friend asked, cocking his head to the side._

_There was a small silence._

"_So that means you'll be leaving soon." The boy stated, trying (but failing) to hide his misery._

"…" _the other could not reply. He had hung out with the boy long enough to know that he had no real friends, just acquaintances and followers. He could only say "Sorry."_

"_You don't have to apologize." The boy said, trying to smile. "It's not your fault. And there's a slight chance that we'll meet again, right?"_

"_Right." The other replied with confidence. "At least I have a small honor."_

"_Honor of what?"_

"_Of being your first real friend." The other replied matter-of-factly. The boy's eyes widened, then he smiled._

"_Thank you." He said, grinning. "Thank you, Wing-san." _

Otto finally remembered. His first ever friend.

_A day after, Otto started to stay longer with Wing each day. Though he was punished every time for it, he felt it was a sacrifice. For Wing._

"_So… two more days." Otto said, swinging his short legs while sitting on a tree stump. Wing had gathered most of his own food from the forest, comprising of berries, nuts, fruits, and bunnies. Otto never realized the depth of the mini-forest. When Wing set the food down at his foot (the poor bunny had been cooked) he offered some to Otto, who suddenly felt famished. He had skipped his breakfast to visit his friend, after all._

_As they feasted on the food, Otto popped a question. "How did you learn all this?" he asked, as Wing nibbled on a rabbit bone. "Survival?" Wing asked, and Otto nodded._

"_Well, when my mother was still here, my father took the time to teach me survival skills. He said that it would come in handy some day." Wing replied, discarding the bone. "They were only a few skills, but they were pretty essential. He taught me how to find water sources, how to cook common wildlife in the forest, and how to make a small house out of leaves, branches, and such. Lao, my trainer, elaborated on the subject."_

"_You're pretty lucky to have real experience with that stuff." Otto said, relaxing on the stump. "I only have stored knowledge from books."_

"_Well, my experiences could help you with things like this, and I'd borrow your intelligence any day." Wing said cheerfully, and Otto laughed a little, something he didn't do much._

"_Well… we can start now if you want." Otto said. Wing looked at his friend quizzically. "Well, you can teach me basic survival techniques, and I can tutor you on subjects that you're not very good at. As long as I can stay here a little longer, we can tutor each other." _

"_That's a good idea." Wing replied. "Though it may be hard for me to teach you all the stuff you'll need to know."_

"_Don't worry." Otto said. "I've got some idea of how to survive, remember? I just need experience. As for you, I'm pretty sure you learn fast."_

"_I'll try." Wing said, and they both smiled. From that time on, they started teaching each other things they wanted to know._

"I can't believe it." Otto said aloud, remembering the memories. They hung out with each other for only a week and three days, yet they came to trust each other so well. Was that why he befriended Wing so quickly on the way to H.I.V.E.? Had Wing known? The questions remained unanswered, for a new question popped in his head.

'_Why am I remembering all this?' _ he thought. After a few moment's thought, he came to a conclusion.

'_Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm a girl. And since I'm technically going through puberty, the memories are coming back.' _He thought. _'Or is it fate?' _another voice in his head asked, but he shook it away.

"Insensible." He told himself, but he was not so sure.

Then the doors opened.

* * *

**So.... That's all my period has for today for The Woman Thing. At least I've made a new chappie!**

**Read and Review please!  
**


	16. Trust the Gut

**Hello! Sadly enough, I haven't had the time to update my stores properly D8 I've been too busy with school, projects, homework, and OH MY GAWD, I HAVE TWO MUSICALS DD8**

**Ah well. I'll manage. T_T**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

"Everything ready to go?"

No matter how hard Nero, Raven and Juno persisted, they wouldn't be deterred. Wing, Laura, Shelby, Felix, Rin, and Mel were too set on finding Otto. And finding the traitor. Nero and Raven may have given up (they recognized fierce, unbreakable confidence when they saw it), but Juno wouldn't have it.

"But you're all too young!" said Juno, still continuing. "Wing, Laura and Shelby, maybe, but you three just came here."

"We've had training Juno." Said Rin. "You _know_ what we mean."

Wing wondered what kind of training she meant, but he supposed that now was not the time.

Juno still frowned. "I promised your parents that I would keep you safe. They trust me, and that kind of trust is hard to rebuild."

"Though you can trust us for their protection." Said Raven, suiting up and replacing her katanas.

"Fine. But I'm _definitely_ staying here and keeping surveillance on all of you. I'm not going to let you all skipping scot-free in what could be enemy territory."

"I expect no less." Raven replied, smirking. She, the younger crew, and some HIVE pilots boarded the Shroud, Mel mock-saluting her sister. That caused a death glare from her dear "sister".

"She's very protective, isn't she?" Laura asked, once they all strapped in.

"Very. She acts so much like a sister, or rather, like a mother. This is the most amazing adventure I've had since we went into hiding." Mel replied rather exasperatedly. "She won't take any risks at all."

"Well, I think it's rather sweet of her protecting you like that."

"As sweet as an overprotective mother with an autistic child in a mall during a Christmas sale." Shelby stated. Mel nodded.

"I appreciate it and all, but this is the first time I've had proper friends." She said, gesturing to Felix and Rin. They smiled. Felix mock bowed.

"We're glad to have that honor, young miss." She said, and they all laughed. A sudden gauche silence overcame them. They all had the same thought in mind.

"… Did you ever suspect Markus of…" Wing trailed off. It was too awkward.

"Well, to be honest… no. Not at first." Said Rin. "Truth be told, he was one of the most happy-go-lucky, annoying people you'd ever meet."

"But when we were told we were going to HIVE, he stopped talking almost altogether. He became silent and sullen, to the point that all of us became depressed."

"Maybe it's because of… whatever he did, or is doing." Said Wing. Rin was about to glare at him, when she realized the truthfulness of his statement.

"I just don't understand why he would—"

"All of you strapped in?"

Raven came in, fully-geared, and apparently done briefing the pilot. "We should arrive at our target area in about an hour or two, so I'll have to brief you newbies," she said, referring to the smaller three. "About what usually happens here."

"As far as I can tell, you can attract trouble pretty well." said Felix. The group tittered. "To tell you the truth, that sums up a lot of the debriefing I'm supposed to give you. The next thing: stay out of trouble."

"But that order's null and void when we're around." said Wing, gesturing to the two girls. They nodded.

"So that can't be avoided. Getting in trouble." Said Raven. "There always seems to be something in our way."

"Whether they be inhumane plant monsters, or crazy megalomaniac super villains with kick-ass assassin robots, trouble always loves to mess around and be creative." Said Shelby. Felix, Rin, and Mel burst out laughing, until they saw the looks n their faces.

"You're… you're kidding, right?" asked Mel. Before any of them could answer, the strange man in bandages came down.

"Raven. You're being called by Nero." He said, as Shelby muttered "Noobs" to Laura.

"You three had best explain what else they need to learn here. You guys can do it." She said.

"Because we made that list of things to note." Said Laura, grinning.

"Something like that." Raven replied, also smiling. She climbed the ladder upwards, and, instead of the formerly awkward silence, Wing, Laura, and Shelby had some explaining to do.

"So what's happened so far?" Raven asked, leaning over the pilot, though she was talking to Nero."

"Strangely enough, nothing." Nero replied. "We were able to trace where Otto had been kidnapped; it was too easy. Apparently, there were reports of lone fishermen seeing "strange plane-things" in the sky, heading north to Russia. Yet, as far as I can tell, this is a very exposed trap plan. Theoretically, I would be right, but I have a gut feeling that we're getting help."

"Trust the gut." Said Raven thoughtfully. "I feel the same. Whoever our generous benefactor is, he could be controlling this entire thing."

"We can't be very sure, but—"

A sudden crash breached throughout the Shroud. It shook the entire thing, even putting Raven off balance. Though as soon as it came, it went. Gone.

"What the hell…" Raven ran down to the lower levels of the Shroud. As she did, Wing and the others caught up with her.

"What was that?!" Laura asked frantically. "We're about to find out." Raven replied, turning sharply at a corner.

* * *

From what Otto could tell, the heavy steps were of the man who came before. He wanted to be heard. He wanted to scare Otto.

"Ready, little clone?" he asked viciously. Otto made no noise, but she was emitting a horribly strong aura of complete loathing.

The man took no heed; he took off her shackles, and dragged her by the hair. She grunted.

"Oh, having a little trouble?" the man asked. He swooped down by her ear, like an eagle to its prey.

"Good. You've cost me too much of my precious life for me to care." He said venomously, and started dragging her again.

After a horrible walk that felt an hour long, the man dumped Otto on the metal floor. They were probably off the Shroud by then, and were in some secret lair. The man left, leaving Otto more confused, and, to Otto's dismay, fearful than ever.

* * *

**Hah. I'm out of creative juices xP**

**Read and Review! 8D  
**


	17. That Crazy Russian

**Oh hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to update in.... Oh my GOD DON'T KILL MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

***sound of gunshot in the background***

**Ah. That was my dear old doppelganger. Mah. Anyway, I've been REALLY BUSY WITH SCHOOL. I had to finish three major projects by myself since my group mates were all bitches D: Mah, anyway, this is fairly short since I needed to update something, at least.**

**WARNING: SWEAR WORDS. I guess.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

"What the—" Raven was interrupted when a cloud of smoke greeted here and a robot assassin came from the din.

"What's this doing here?!" she exclaimed, slashing at the robot. It split apart immediately, much to Raven's joy. Their backup arrived, and so did the robots'.

"What are _they_ doing here?!" Shelby exclaimed, kicking one of them away from her. Wing had a hard look on his face, as he continued to fight back the things.

"I doubt brute force will take these down, wh-whatever they are." Mel said, and from the thin air she attacked a robot with a large ice shard.

It was only a short attack; a total of twenty robots lay broken on the floor.

"I have a feeling this was only a distraction." Said Raven, kicking one of the robots. Nero came down, and looked shocked when he saw what had attacked them.

* * *

"What are they doing here?!" he exclaimed, but he left them no time to explain. Nero quickly rushed back up to the control room of the Shroud.

"What do you mean?! I never sent them!"

Nero had contacted 'Howard' from the cockpit of the Shroud, and immediately told him of the attack.

"It's only been half a year, how can I trust you?" Nero asked viciously. "Because I wouldn't dare risk the life of my son, not again." He replied just as fiercely, and Nero was finally convinced he was telling the truth.

"Then who could have ordered them?" Nero asked. "An insider of the school. Most probably that Markus." Howard replied.

"Impossible. Pike took out the main control of your robots a long time ago, and replaced it with his equipment. _His_ equipment has been locked away and sealed."

"We don't know much about Markus's talents yet. We cannot underestimate that boy." Said Howard. Nero sighed.

"At least the attack was very minor. Though it could be a distraction from—"

The connection was cut off. Howard was at a loss.

"Nero? Nero! Answer me!" he shouted, though he knew it was futile. He called the nearest HIVE technician. He hoped what had happened hadn't been too horrible.

* * *

"Another wave!" the pilot shouted, as the plane quaked once more. Nero braced himself on the back of the pilot's seat.

"Raven." He muttered. "Hear me?"

"_Loud and clear sir."_ She replied from the small earpiece. "Another wave?" he asked.

"_No sir. No one's getting in. But something attached to the hull. Something big—Chyort voz'mi!(1)" _she said. By then, Nero was sort of shocked that she actually swore that aloud.

"What is it Raven?!" he shouted, rather than asked. _"Nothing we can't handle—" _she said, though there was a loud screech of metal, and the sound of a body hitting metal.

"I'm going down there Raven." He said. However, he was interrupted by a loud 'NO' from the other end.

'_I hope you're right.' _Nero thought, as he settled back into the cockpit.

* * *

"What the hell is that?!" shouted Laura, as they came upon the area of battle. A large, metal, octopus-like thing emerged from the damaged hull, and started attacking the others. Raven was there in a flash. She quickly changed the setting of her katanas, and slashed at two of the arms. They only scratched the tentacles; they still attacked as relentless as ever.

"Was that the strongest setting?" Wing asked, kicking down an arm. "As far as I can dare to go. Which is a lot." Raven replied.

"Then go farther." He replied. "Or else we'll be going down."

Raven smirked, and change the setting again. From the way she moved, she was being cautious.

However, it paid off; the arm she attacked broke off. She attacked the main body of the thing, and it was in pieces.

All of them sighed. However, a metallic voice that emerged from the robot told them that it was _not_ over.

"_No matter how hard you hit, I'll just keep on coming. So try to impress me, and maybe I'll stop." _Said the voice. Raven was pissed._ "However, I've still got forces coming into your ship at my command, and I swear that they won't stop coming until you do something innovative." _

The voice just went overboard. It laughed at them.

"No. Fucking. Way."

Felix had been helping alongside, though she hadn't realized it until now.

"Th-that's Markus!" she exclaimed. Under all the computerized alterations and voice modulation, she could still recognize that voice. Mel's eyes widened in comprehension. Raven looked livid, and just minced the robot into pieces. The thing stopped talking, though there was another bang on the ship.

"Give me the oxygen cylinder." She said. Shelby quickly handed her the small tube in one of the emergency lockers nearby. Raven put in her mouth, and snapped her mask down onto her face. She jumped out of the ship, and after a few moments, there was the sound of breaking metal.

"What the hell… is something wrong with that crazy Russian?" asked Felix. Suddenly, the tense air was broken; the original three broke into silent laughter (In Wing's case, he smirked).

"I suggest that you don't call her that in front of her face." Said Laura

"Unless you like drinking pulverized meat through a straw." Shelby added. Wing was about to defend his mentor, when she came back with an unconscious body.

Markus's body.

* * *

**(1) Means 'Damn it'. I think. Or 'Oh shit'.**

**Haha. Markus betrayed them!!!!! **

**Well DUH.**

**Anyway, please read and review!  
**


	18. Squat, Pray, Leap, AAH, Touchdown,

**So... Yeah. This is another chapter. I bet you were intrigued by the title :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING  
**

* * *

"Markus!" Rin exclaimed, going near her unconscious friend. However, Laura held her back, and shook her head. Ring faltered.

"He sedated himself. He won't be awake for a while." Said Raven placing his body on the floor. "He probably wanted to escape explanations for the time being. Whatever it was, the sedative was fast acting, and I only saw him injecting himself when he collapsed—"

She stopped, when Nero arrived to the scene. He didn't show much shock, but he seemed rather irritated.

"So he sedated himself? Well that won't help our situation." he muttered. "But why would he have sold Mel out to GLOVE?" Rin asked, her voice sounding a bit shaky. No one could answer her.

"Either way, he's going to the sickbay until he wakes up." Said Raven, carrying his body away. Nero went back up to the cockpit, leaving the six alone.

They took their seats again. It was deathly quiet.

"…Would he really have sold Otto for money?" asked Wing. Felix looked dazed at first, though she answered him.

"I doubt it was just about money." She said. "He's not like that. I'm sure he has another motive, however unclear."

"Whatever it is, we'd better find out soon." Said Mel, looking angered. "I'm not about to endanger another person for my sake. Not again."

Another awkward silence fell upon the group. However, Wing didn't mind. In fact, he was thinking rather deeply. Reasons to why Markus betrayed them.

_Money? No, that's already been scratched out. Maybe his father had problems that, in some way, were related to Otto so he sent him to be killed instead of Mel._

_No. That's already too much. _

_Maybe he was protecting Mel. Maybe he was sending Otto to whoever wanted Mel to protect her._

_But why Otto? Sure, he's special in a lot of ways, but still… why him?_

Wing's train of thought stopped, when the Shroud jolted again. There wasn't anything on their side, so they all rushed up to the cockpit.

"What's happen— oh."

As Shelby got to the cockpit first, it confused the other five to no end when she said that. However, when they reached her, they met the same conclusion.

"Oh. So we've reached our destination." Said Rin. Instead of sounding casual, she sounded excited, and a little bit scared.

It was a snowy mountain range. According to the readings in the front of the ship, they were nearing their target area.

"Thirty minutes, and closing in. Looks like I'm debriefing you six again." Said Raven, leading them down to the back of the Shroud.

* * *

"According to the readings from HIVE, there are hypersensitive motion sensors in our target area. However, they only cover some of the ground, and not the large cliffs, rock formations and entrance of their base." She started, throwing equipment to them.

"Luckily enough for us, the entrance of their base is hidden in a small cave. So there won't be any sensors on the top of it." She continued.

"So what do you suggest?" Felix asked, and the look that Wing, Shelby and Laura shot said that she shouldn't have asked.

"HALO." Raven said, and they looked a little surprised.

"Well three of you should be lucky that Francisco taught you the basics of the jump," she retorted. "But you three girls will be tackling this for the first—"

"The schematics are off course." Said Mel, already looking at the data on one of the Blackboxes. "This was a quick and dirty fix, so you may want to reconsider what the technician did here."

Rin and Felix grinned.

"You have no idea what we've been through." Rin said. Raven just smirked.

"Then let's put your experience to good use. Suit up. When you finish fixing the data, we'll show it to the pilot and Nero." Said Raven. If there was one thing she liked in a person, it was spunk. And the stupid audacity that followed.

* * *

"Well that was overlooked."

The pilot examined the changes in the numbers of the HALO jump. "Most likely, the person who fixed your data was trying to kill all of you." He said casually.

"So he or she may be in league with whoever took Otto." Wing said. "That's great. More people are trying to kill us." Shelby said sarcastically.

"We'll deal with the traitor later. Right now, you have a jump to do." Nero said. The seven of them suited up. They were reaching the drop target.

Nero approached Raven. He didn't want any of the others to hear what he had to say.

"While you were with them, I received a transmission from Juno." He whispered, as she suited up. "She told me that your actions are those of a crazy person's."

"How many times have I heard _that_ before?" Raven muttered.

"This was different. I could tell that she wasn't only serious. She was desperate." Nero replied, sounding steely. "You shouldn't let Mel in on this mission."

"I would rather let her do the mission willingly rather than her sneaking out, placing herself in greater risk. If she were to go anywhere without our knowing, there would be a greater chance of her getting hurt. You can't stop her, Max. Even I don't know what she's capable of." Raven said. That ended the conversation. Usually, she would follow Nero's orders, but Mel Taruc wasn't the usual neo-human. Raven knew true determination when she saw it.

"Fine. But you're reporting to Juno when we return to HIVE." Nero said, sounding resigned. He went to the flight deck, leaving Raven to bring the small retrieval team when they were ready.

"Are all of you ready?" she asked, looking at the six of them. There was the air of excitement and nerves. They were most definitely ready.

"I just hope that we will able to proceed as planned." Wing said, and everyone else nodded.

"And I hope that target rock's big enough for all of us." Shelby said.

"That's the fun part. We have no idea." Felix said, and Shelby grinned.

"Remind me to breathe again if we land safely on that thing."

* * *

"We're ready to go."

Raven met up with Nero in the flight deck. He looked amused.

"I hope your team is as well." he said. The Shroud began to climb to the designated altitude where they would make the jump. Every one of them had a specific landing point, so that they wouldn't land on each other and become a red stain. Nero hoped that the entrance to the base was as big as they thought it was.

"We're reaching the designated altitude." The pilot said over the intercom. "Get ready to jump."

"Alright then." Nero said. "I'll leave you to your mission. God speed." He passed Raven. "And make sure Mel stays alive." He muttered, so quietly that Raven almost missed it. She gave a quick, imperceptible nod. Nero left the flight deck, and the door opened.

"Remember the rules of skydiving: Squat, pray, leap, AAH, and touchdown!" Shelby shouted. Before they jumped however, there was an odd silence.

"…S.P.L.A.T.?" Laura asked.

"Exactly." Shelby replied, grinning. Raven just rubbed her visor-covered forehead, and jumped.

* * *

**So. Yes, that last bit of humor was NOT my idea. It was from the episode "Helicopter", from the TV show "Drake and Josh". So let's make it clear. NOT. MINE.**

**READ AND REVIEW!  
**


	19. Filler Bunnies

**Hello reader. This is your unfaithful writer, giving you this quick chapter so you won't send demons to my house to force me to write :3**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.**

**WARNING: THIS IS A FILLER CHAPTER. DON'T EXPECT MUCH.  
**

* * *

In his head, it was time for Otto to start thinking hard. The man hadn't tied his arms or anything, so he probably assumed that the room was escape proof.

'_No room is escape proof if you're friends with Shelby.' _Otto thought, grinning. He sat down quietly on the floor and observed his surroundings. At first, it looked like a seamless metal box. The door from which he probably entered was gone, and the walls were just unforgiving and metallic. However, he noticed a small barred square on the ceiling of the room. He wouldn't be able to reach it though. Besides, it was too small to begin with.

Otto stood up, running his hands on the walls of the room. Nothing was perfect. So there had to be something that would help him escape. _Anything_.

And that was when the world exploded.

Otto braced himself, landing on all fours when the explosion had knocked him. He had no idea what that was about, but he was sure that the thing wasn't scheduled. After all, the room wasn't soundproof. He could hear people shuffling outside, panicking. They didn't seem so professional. Maybe the base was just meant to be temporary, so the guards were temporary too.

"Evacuate everyone, there are high-class rats running around the base!" Otto heard someone shout, and by then he was optimistic for who had come. Suddenly, he felt the urge to make as much noise as possible, hopefully catching the attention of the intruders. As long as they were his friends, of course.

Otto began banging on the wall where he'd heard the panic, hoping that he was hitting the door. He said nothing, just to be sure, that he wouldn't regret shouting his lungs out if those intruders weren't allies.

"Shut up!" someone shouted, and Otto knew that the man had passed by. He stopped, waited for a few moments for the man to leave, before banging again.

* * *

"We have her, sir." The man said, speaking to a large screen with a dark silhouette.

"Let me see her. I don't want your incompetence to have gotten the wrong clone." Number One said viciously. Clicking a remote, the man showed the holographic version of Otto in the room.

Suddenly, there was a heavy aura of anger. Number One's voice was calm, but the man just _knew_ that something was horribly wrong.

"That's not the clone, you useless idiot. That's not even close. You got the wrong—"

An explosion shook the cavern where they spoke. Number One's silhouette disappeared from the screen, and the man left to see if his mistake was still in her room.

"Shut up!" he shouted, and the banging stopped, leaving him to find the source of the explosion.

He ran past many of the guards who were running for their petty little lives. The man made a mental note to permanently fire them from any job for their uselessness. He reached the entrance bay, where a few loyal soldiers stood their ground, shooting at whoever got in.

The smoke was too thick for anyone to see through, but the man could fairly sense the presence of seven rats. The intruders seemed unafraid to jump in and attack. But they didn't seem bent on killing.

"Whoever you seven are, show yourselves! We'll shoot you down if you don't come out!" he shouted.

Suddenly, he felt something behind him.

"_Stupid move." _He heard someone whisper, before he fell unconscious.

* * *

"Honestly, did we really have to start that explosion?"

The seven of them had gotten in safe, before Shelby got the idea of detonating a smoke bomb and an actual bomb that she'd brought. Raven didn't seem to mind when she'd done it. After all, it wasn't a big concern at the moment. Felix however, looked a little surprised.

"What, we had nothing to lose. The people who kidnapped Otto were simple thugs. They didn't even guard the entrance properly. Their only proper protection were the sensors, and even that wasn't good enough." Shelby said, grinning. Laura rolled her eyes, before they pursued their target.

"Wait." Raven muttered in the smoke, before disappearing for a quick while. She came back, telling them to go forward.

"But what about the other—"

"They'll be running away now that their leader is down. Like what Shelby said, they're just simple thugs." Raven replied, and Wing nodded. She was right. When the smoke cleared, the entrance bay was completely empty.

"Let's split up. Keep in contact with your comms." Raven said, tapping her helmet to indicate the small communicator in her ear. The others nodded, before splitting up. Raven went with Rin and Felix, while Mel went with Wing, Shelby, and Laura.

"So where do you think Otto is?" Mel asked when they searched the eastern area of the temporary base.

"No idea at all." Laura replied. "Then again, looking for him wouldn't have been easy anyway."

Suddenly, Wing held his hand up, and motioned for them to go into a smaller corridor. Footsteps approached their area, and then they all held fighting stances. They needn't though, because the men who passed by seemed to be escaping rather than looking for enemies.

"Now that was just sad." Shelby muttered, before they headed down the corridor again. A fork in the road caused them to separate.

"Go straight back here if there's nothing. Don't go down any other branching corridors." Wing ordered. Shelby gave a small 'control freak', before Wing rolled his eyes, grinning. They separated again, Shelby going with Mel and Laura going with Wing.

* * *

In the Shroud, Markus woke up.

He kept his eyes closed, sensing if there were any other people nearby. None. They probably hadn't gotten that many people onboard. After all, they only needed the retrieval team for Otto.

Honestly, Markus regretted using Otto as the target. But he would repay him.

He climbed out of the bed, moving slowly. The sedative was still in his body, making his actions sluggish. Surely, he exited the sickbay, and snuck into the flight deck, where an extra suit for the HALO jump lay. He silently gave thanks to whoever packed in the extra.

Trying not to get anyone's attention, he suited up, taking what was necessary to get Otto out of the base. Markus didn't care that the Shroud might not have been in the designated altitude. He would manage. Somehow.

Markus had to work fast. Resetting the statistics in the helmet, he hovered his hand over the open button of the Shroud door. He sucked in a breath, before slamming his hand onto the red button. Immediately, the door opened, and an alarm sounded. Some guards quickly rushed into the flight deck, sleepers already shooting. But Markus was already falling in the air.

* * *

**And as you can tell, this was rushed (sigh)**

**Read and Review!  
**


	20. That Machiavellian Bastard

**Heya all! I'm back with a new chapter, and here the story line will actually progress (grins)**

**(Otto prances in a with a smug smirk)**

**Me: What's with you? Did you see pictures of Wing in a maid's dress?**

**Otto: HELL NO! Why would I do that?**

**Me: Dunno, it was the first thing that came into my head when I saw you smirking. Thought it would be Wing related or something.**

**Otto: NO. I'm just happy because....**

**Me: WHAT IS IT, you old man? Or did you already forget because of your Alzheimer's? **

**Otto: Will you shut it with the old man jokes?**

**Me: No.**

**Otto: (slaps forehead) Of course not.**

**Me: Hah. Now do the disclaimer before anything else.**

**Otto: White owns nothing.  
**

* * *

"I think I hear something!"

Wing, Laura and Mel skidded to a halt, when they heard insistent banging on metal. Wing put a finger to his mouth, before sneaking further down the corridor to find the source of the noise.

At the very end of the hall was a large metal door, similar to the heavy-duty ones on bank safes. The door seemed thicker than the usual door, and more protected than a bank safe. "And it's made of titanium." Shelby muttered, sliding her hand over it. "A simple kick won't be bringing it down."

"Give it twenty years or so." Laura added, grinning.

"Hack away, then." Wing said. Before Laura could do anything, however, they all noticed something. Mel spoke up.

"Did the banging just stop?" she asked. The other three grinned.

"That's got to be Otto." Laura said, already plugging her notebook laptop into the lock pad. After a few short minutes, the doors hissed, unlocking the room behind it.

"Perfect." Wing said. He and Mel pulled hard on the heavy reinforced door, before actually making headway with opening it.

"Damn, this was heavier than I thought." Mel said. But once they opened a gap the size of a human, Shelby stuck a LED flashlight into the dark room.

* * *

Markus peeped, before walking out onto the landing bay. It was completely and utterly deserted. Not even a ruffle of footsteps could be heard. The thugs he'd hired really _were_ cheap. And he'd been cheated out of his money.

"Damn." He muttered. "Looks like I wasted that 50K." Markus strolled past the inner doors, to look for Otto and take him away from the place. He just hoped that he wouldn't meet Raven or anyone else on the way. Markus felt as though he wouldn't be so lucky.

After a few minutes of navigating and narrowly avoiding Raven and her small team, he closed in on where he hoped Otto was. As far as he knew, the man he'd hired kept him in the isolation room where he would keep stray operatives.

Running down a web of corridors, he passed by a broken down door hanging by its hinges. After running past it, Markus backpedalled. He looked.

A giant screen covered a portion of the rough wall, and a humongous keypad lay under it. Markus took it as a clue, so he began checking the recent activity on it.

"I knew it!" he muttered. "He _was_ working as a double agent. For _him_."

Scowling, he pursued his target. Following his memory, Markus took the left corridor, going down to the very end. He heard no noise. It was unnerving.

He quickly went to work, unlocking the bank safe-like door which was ten centimeters thick. When there was a comforting 'click' and 'hiss', Markus painstakingly opened the large titanium door. A shuffle of footsteps caused him to stop and turn around. Nothing. He continued pulling, and when he looked inside, his eyes widened.

* * *

"Guys." Shelby said worriedly. "We may have a problem."

Wing, Laura and Mel approached the blonde girl. They froze.

"Oh no." Wing muttered. A medium sized time bomb was ticking away, already on five minutes and forty-six seconds. And when Shelby opened up the metal thing, there were only red wires instead of different colored ones.

"The banging was probably that." Wing said, pointing to a broken pipe. Sliding down it was some thick, black oily sludge. Probably toxic waste that came from the drainage. However, it clogged, so the heavy falls on metal stopped.

"Well, if there's one thing learned from this, it's that the person who set the time bomb didn't have much equipment to work with. But he stayed away from the usual cliché different colored wires." Shelby said.

"That's not much help, by the way." Laura said irritably. "There's not much computer to hack into. I'm afraid I can't be of much help."

"We cannot just risk the chance of clipping any wire." Wing said, already bringing out a few tools that Raven forced onto them ("Just in case"). "We have to check if there are any differences between the wires."

"We may not have time for that." Mel said. "We have only four more minutes until this thing goes boom."

"Gee, ya think?" Shelby said sarcastically. Suddenly, Mel's eyes lit up.

"Wait, Laura, how well made is this bomb?" she asked hurriedly. "Not very. Whoever made it seemed to be in a hurry, dumping it here."

"Good." Mel said. "And I am _so _glad that I still have Rosie's body fluids."

"What do you mean by—" Wing stopped, when a long and heavy spray of water shot at the bomb from her hand. The bomb didn't seem to budge, still ticking, until suddenly it sparked. Laura, Shelby and Wing stepped back a little, but the spark died down. And after a few minutes, the entire thing broke apart from the pressure and force of the water.

"Very cool." Shelby said, grinning. "How'd you do that?"

"Neo-human, remember?" Mel replied, grinning. "And from what I remember with basic bombs, the detonator was the source of heat for the bomb. When it broke away from the explosive charge, it stopped it from ticking any further."

"Ve-ery nice." Laura said, grinning. "It looks like we'll have to dispose of this." She grabbed the explosive charge, and hid it away.

"But we still need to find Otto." Wing said. Everyone nodded, and exited the room.

* * *

"YOU!" Otto shouted, throwing a wild punch at Markus. Dodging it easily, he raised his hands in defense.

"Wait!" he said, and Otto hesitated a little.

"So you figured it out, huh?" Markus asked. "Spending time in enemy territory, alone in some isolation room would make a guy think." Otto replied. "And you also think that you'll regain the trust you lost by saving me."

"Pretty much, yes." Markus said calmly. He didn't expect a full blown slap to hit his face.

"What was that for?!" he exclaimed, rubbing his bright red cheek. "I needed to vent my anger, and there were no cloth dummies nearby." Otto answered. "Luckily enough, a sentient one was right in front of me."

"You're welcome." Markus said sarcastically, before leading Otto out. "Ladies first." He said jokingly. Otto raised another hand, before Markus held his hands up again.

"Kidding!" he said worriedly. Otto lowered the hand, and grinned.

As they snuck out, Otto began asking questions.

'"I thought you were the quiet one? Why start talking now?" she asked. "I was only quiet for this mission. I talk a lot more than people think." He replied quickly, as they exited the maze-like underground structure.

"And why did you have to order thugs to kidnap me? They burned through my wrists, by the way." She said. Markus growled.

"I told them not to harm you!" he said aloud. "Then again, they probably ignored my orders when I tipped them off."

Otto looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, right." Markus said. "I did it to protect Mel. She was being targeted by another organization. However, Juno, her 'sister', thought that she could scare the enemies off for a while by fake kidnapping her and 'eliminate' her friends."

"But I knew that this certain organization wouldn't be scared. So I had to gain their trust and place the tracker on you to keep Mel safe. They would get you instead of her, and she would be safe from them. Your friends would most likely save you, and defeat the enemy for the while. Then everyone would be okay."

"So you gambled me and my friends' lives just to save your friends'." Otto cleared. Markus nodded.

"Wow. You Machiavellian asshole." Otto said.

"Why thank you." Markus replied a small smile forming on his face.

* * *

**Me: Whaaaaaat, why are you so happy???**

**Otto (grins) I deleted all of the blackmail pictures of me on you computer!**

**Me: ..... That's _it?_**

**Otto: Hey, what do you mean by 'that's it'? I trashed your chances of blackmailing me!**

**Me: (breaks into hysterics)**

**Otto: ........ (after a few minutes) Oi. White. _White_. WHITE!**

**Me: (calms down) What?**

**Otto:What's with the hysterics?**

**Me: Do you honestly think that the copies of the blackmail pictures and videos were on my computer only? (grins)**

**Otto: Wait, what?**

**(giggling girls pass by)**

**Generic Girl 1: I just got this viral e-mail with a picture of an albino in a polic costume with a giant pink bow on his head with a bunch of jellybeans in his mouth!**

**Generic Girl 2: Really? Well I got a video of that albino kid dancing to 'Bad Romace' while wearing a giant cowboy hat and bellbottoms! **

**(giggling girls walk away)**

**Otto: O_o; (faints)**

**Me: Oh come on— Wing, clean up on aisle ten.**

**Wing: Yes, yes, I get it. (drags Otto away)  
**


	21. Water Thrust

**Hello there! Sorry for the two month wait, I was just brain dead xD**

**Otto: RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! IT'S THE APOCALYPSE! (Runs around like a headless chicken)**

**Me: (Grabs collar of his shirt) Are you on Red Bull again?**

**Otto: NO!**

**Me: You forgot your underwear?**

**Otto: What the hell**_—_**?**

**Me: You saw**_—_

**Otto: Can you stop for a bit?**

**Me: Maybe. (Checks watch) Okay it's been a bit**_—_

**Wing: (Walks by)**

**Otto: O_o (Runs away, screaming)**

**Me: Is there something wrong with him?**

**Wing: (Shrug)**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.  
**

* * *

Raven, Felix and Rin searched their side of the underground facility. No matter how far they went, they couldn't find any trace of Otto or their enemies.

"I suppose they already escaped." Felix suggested.

"No. The other henchmen may have, but their leader should still be here. He would try to make sure that no one would find out about this place." Raven replied, running to a branching hall. The other two girls followed, hoping that their leader was right.

They ran to an open area, probably a place where the workers would assemble for announcements. Other exits branched away from the place, leading to the other parts of the place. Raven's eyes widened under the visor of her helmet. Rin's eyes followed, as she what was hanging on one of the walls.

"Seven minutes?" she exclaimed. On the wall was a fairly large detonator, counting down from seven minutes. Immediately Raven turned on her comm.

"Fanchu, come in, Fanchu!" she said, and a burst of static rang in her ear before Wing replied.

"What is it?" he asked calmly, though his breathing a tad labored. His group was still running around, searching for Otto.

"There's a bomb. We have to get out of here _now_." She explained. There was a sound of confusion before Wing replied.

"_We already took it out. We still—"_

"This one's different. It's not where you are, and it's already on seven minutes. We have to get out of here." Raven interrupted.

"_No! We still haven't found Otto! We can't leave!" _he exclaimed, losing some of his control.

"Fanchu you'd better go back to the docking bay or so help me I will drag you by the balls and bring you there myself!" Raven threatened.

"_Then go ahead! I'm not leaving without Otto!" _Wing replied angrily. From the soft gasps Raven knew that the other girls were listening.

"Win, stop joking around. Would you rather that everyone dies here? We_ have_ to go. Now." She said angrily. She sighed. "I'm sorry Wing. We have to go."

Grunts of anger came from the other side, and a sudden bang surprised Felix and Rin. Wing had probably beaten one of the metal walls in anger. A moment of silence, before Wing replied with a small "Understood." The comm turned off, as they abandoned the line. Raven bit her lip, before turning to her team.

"You two heard me before. Let's go back to the docking bay, before this metal scrap explodes." She said steadily. Felix's eyebrow crumpled and Rin suppressed a sniffle before they replied with lifeless yeses. They ran back the way they came.

After a few seconds, Markus and Otto entered the deserted open space.

"I thought I heard voices here." Markus said, a tad confused. "Never mind that, we'd better find the others and get out of here before this place explodes." Otto said, looking at the bomb on the wall.

"There are probably other bombs like that in this place. This way no one would find out about the stuff here." Markus said, running to one of the exits. "Come on!" he called, before Otto followed.

* * *

Wing hit hand fist against the wall, before giving a small "Understood" to Raven. He hissed quietly as he turned the communication off.

"Wing…" Shelby said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We have to go."

Wing's fist grew tighter, as they ran back to the docking bay. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't! They went here to save Otto and now there was a possibility that they wouldn't even be able to save themselves. But he had to find Otto. He had to!

Wing stopped in his tracks, and it took a few seconds before the other three girls stopped as well.

"What is it Wing?" Laura asked. "We have to go now, before those bombs—"

"I'm staying behind." He announced. Looks of shock were on the girls' faces.

"Are fucking crazy?" Mel asked angrily. "We have to go—"

"I won't leave Otto behind!" he exclaimed. He barely ever showed much anger, so his best friends were a bit surprised. Then a look of anger was on Laura's face as well.

"You can't do this Wing! You—"

"Do you really want to leave Otto?" he asked. "Do you?"

Laura stopped in her tracks. A heavy silence fell on the group, until she spoke up.

"No." she said quietly. "But I doubt Otto would want us to sacrifice ourselves for his sake. He would want us to escape before we die, Wing."

Wing's eyes widened. He bowed his head, before he began running to the docking bay again.

* * *

Once they got there, they met up with Raven and her group. She placed a hand on his shoulder, before he shook his head.

"We'd better go." He said. Raven was about to nod, before a cry of pain came from behind them.

"FELIX!" Rin exclaimed, bending down to her friend. Felix curled up around her thigh. She pulled her hand away, only to reveal a bloodstained pants leg.

Raven quickly pulled out her katana going for the man who had shot Felix. The man that had kidnapped Otto was there, gun held in his hands. However, he had a look of shock on his face, and blood dribbled out of one side of his mouth. He fell down, dead.

There was a moment of shock.

"Otto? _Markus_? !" Shelby exclaimed. Standing behind the man were the two of them, Markus holding a gun at where the man's chest once was. He lowered it as the others approached them.

"Where'd you get the gun?" Otto asked him.

"Got it on the way to your place." He replied calmly, as Laura and Shelby hugged Otto tightly. No words were exchanged, as they went back to Raven. Markus was about to approach them, when Rin threw one of the knives she was given at his feet.

"How could you?" she screamed, a few tears coming out.

"I didn't shoot Felix." He replied. "_He_ did. I just killed him."

"No, she's asking why you betrayed us." Wing said steadily. "That's a story for another day. Right now, we should get out of here. There was time bomb and—"

"We know." Raven said, already carrying Felix out. They ran out of facility, Mel giving one last look at the place before they climbed the Shroud that came to pick them up. She growled at the place.

"This place doesn't deserve to exist." She said angrily. She raised her hand, and as the Shroud moved away, the ground shook when the secret facility exploded. Everyone in the Shroud almost fell to the floor. When they regained their standing, Otto took a seat beside Mel.

"That wasn't the time bomb, was it?" he asked.

"Well, sort of." She replied. Otto raised and eyebrow.

"It was both the bomb and me. I did the 'Water Thrust', an attack I developed a long time ago. Using the meager water supply they had in that place, I transferred it to the center of the facility. Then, using some of the moisture in the atmosphere, I expanded the water and made it into something like a really, really, _really _giant sea urchin, destroying most of it. I'm guessing the bomb exploded at the same time." Mel said. Otto 'oh'-ed in response.

The two of them stood up, going to the group their friends made at the entrance of the landing bay. They were probably waiting for Mel and Otto. Right after the two got to them, Nero arrived as well. He had a smile on his face.

"I presume that the mission was a success." He said, nodding at Raven. She removed her helmet and nodded in return.

"And I presume that Mister Waller has some explaining to do." Said Raven staring hard at the boy. Markus laughed nervously.

"This may take a while…" he muttered weakly.

* * *

**Me: So, what's got Captain Crazy on high?**

**Otto: (Twitch) Wing got me to**_—_

**Wing: O_O YOU CANNOT PROVE ANYTHING! (Jumps Otto)**

**Me: ...Okay. Weird.**

**Read and Review please!  
**


	22. Finale

**HOMAYGASH. IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER. D:**

**No really.**

**D:**

**NOOOO! **

**And thus ends my first ever fic. **

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING  
**

* * *

"… And that's what happened."

When they all landed in HIVE, Markus had been taken to the interrogation room, to have a one-on-one chat with Raven. However, _that_ plan didn't work so well, as most of the people involved in the rescue mission followed them like ducks. So instead, they divided the group into two. The older duckies with Markus, and the littler ones with Otto, as s/he knew why Markus kidnapped her/him. Yeah. Otto was still female.

When the general explaining had been done, the group of twelve gathered together.

"Why had you used Otto as bait? He barely looks anything like Mel." Wing asked.

"The people I paid to kidnap him had no idea how Mel looked like. However, what they _did_ know was that they were to find a female clone." Markus replied. Otto's eyes widened, and he was about to ask what he meant by 'clone', when Nero cut in.

"What does Number One have to do with all of this?" he asked. "Yes, he has been changing these few years, but what does all this have to do with us?"

"As I explained in the Shroud before, Number One wanted us to make clones. However, they wanted to modify Mel, so I had to hide her here. People wanted her, so we had planned to 'kidnap' her so the competitors would stay away. But it seemed like _Markus_ here had a different plan, no matter how ingenious it was." Juno said, looking pointedly at the boy. He shrugged meekly.

"And as it turned out, the people Markus hired were double agents for Number One. That didn't change the situation much, but it made me realize how much Number One wanted Mel." She continued.

"But why?" Howard asked quietly.

"I don't really know." Juno replied. "But I do have a guess."

"As far as I know, Number One wants things to be perfect. Maybe he wanted to eliminate imperfection in his work. Maybe he didn't want to work on Mel anymore. Maybe he wanted to destroy her." She said. Mel's eyes widened.

"So you're implying that Number One already has a perfect clone?" Raven asked.

Juno bit her lip.

"Yes."

Otto finally asked his question.

"Is that what you meant by 'female clone'?" he asked softly. Everyone looked at him. Juno sighed.

"Yes, Otto. Even though your female form is temporary, you are a clone." She said, just as silent. Wing, Shelby and Laura's eyes widened. They looked at the faces of the other four. It seemed as though they knew.

"What else don't we know?" Laura asked.

"Well, I'm years older than any of you, if that's a start." Mel said, sounding annoyed. Suddenly, Otto gave a small laugh. Soon everyone joined in. however, the solemn atmosphere returned.

"Of who?" asked Shelby. "Who is Otto a clone of?"

Laura elbowed her deep in the gut. Shelby doubled over in pain. Juno ignored the question, hoping it wouldn't be raised again.

"I do have a question though." Felix said. "Who are _you_?" she asked, looking at Howard. "Everyone else fits into the equation but you."

"He's a friend." Juno said dismissively. "He helped me find Nero—"

"I am quite curious as well." Wing interrupted. "You seem familiar. Who are you? Just a man behind a mask?'

'Howard' laughed quietly. In truth, he was asking for help from Juno and Nero.

"We'll continue this later." Juno said, sounding annoyed. "Right now, we have to give Mel the make-over."

"The make-over?" Otto asked.

"Oh no." Mel said, rubbing her temples. "The _make-over_."

* * *

Otto and company gawked. Instead of the old caramel-skinned, black haired, black eyed, lopsided smile Mel they were used to, they faced an almost completely different girl.

The new Mel had tanned white skin and pretty brown eyes. Instead of the old black hair, she had flaming red hair, which looked nice against her skin. The hair reached way past her shoulders, and it was tied in a ponytail.

Otto realized something.

"Are those Wing's eyes?" he asked quite suddenly. Juno grinned.

"Yep. And the hair color was based on Laura's hair, and the skin and hairstyle was all Shelby." She replied happily. "And it only took me a few hours to finish! A new record!"

"And she didn't take after Otto at all, poor girl— boy, I mean." Shelby said teasingly.

"Get off, Shel." He said, shoving her off his shoulder. Mel grinned.

"Who said I didn't take any traits from our resident transsexual?" she asked in a perfectly clear British accent.

"I am not a transsexual!" Otto exclaimed, his cheeks going red.

"Technically, you are the perfect example of a transsexual, Otto." Laura said, stroking her chin and laughing.

Juno laughed, walking away. She approached the other three kids.

"Has it been prepared?" she asked quietly. Felix nodded.

"All canisters are in place, and HIVE records are being deleted as we speak." She replied. Felix sighed.

"I still don't like this." She said. "Why do we always have to delete our existence?"

Juno raised an eyebrow. Felix groaned.

"I know that was a stupid question, but still…"

"It's not only for Mel's safety, or ours. It's for the people we meet." Rin said quietly. "If our enemies find out that we interacted with them, they'll target those people."

"But I still regret doing all this." She added, looking at the laughing group. They were still teasing Otto.

Juno smiled.

"You guys can hang out with them, you know." She said. "I can tell how much you guys enjoyed this certain school."

Rin and Felix smiled like children, and ran off to Mel and the others. They both jumped, landing on Mel, causing a funny uproar amongst the seven of them.

"Why don't you join them?" Juno asked Markus. He smiled, and shook his head.

"Nah. Besides, we're going to leave in a while." He replied, still watching his friends. He and Juno stayed silent for a while. Then Juno popped a question.

"Do you regret losing your childhood to protect Mel?" she asked. Markus looked at her strangely. He shrugged.

"I don't really know." He said. "I've never had a real childhood—"

"Cause of us—"

"But I wouldn't have my life any other way." He continued. "I don't really know what a real childhood is like. All those toys, the junk food and all that crap. I feel as though my childhood helped me achieve more than I would have if I had a normal life. Besides, I made friends, right? That's what a real childhood is like."

Juno grinned.

"Smart words." She said devilishly.

* * *

"So how will we approach this?"

Nero sat in his office. 'Howard' had already left, and Juno was preparing for her take-off with the rest of her charges. When he found out that Otto was a clone, he was dumbfounded. _Of who? _He wondered.

Suddenly, Nero felt something was wrong. He looked up, and saw the vents. His eyes widened.

"Oh no." he muttered quietly. He tried to reach for Raven's pager, but the very moment he held his hand out he fainted. The colorless, odorless gas that seeped all over the school had worked.

"Good." Juno said through her gas mask.

"The computer records in HIVE have just been deleted too." Rin said. "It took a while, but we were able to disable HIVEmind for a while so that we could hack the entire network."

"And the gas is working. Everyone in this entire school will forget what happened in the past few days we've been here." Felix added. Juno nodded, and they all entered their helicopter.

Mel gave one last look at the school. She frowned, and sighed.

"Good bye HIVE." She muttered sadly, getting into the helicopter. The doors closed, and they flew away, leaving no trace of their existence whatsoever.

* * *

Otto lay on his bed. It had been a few days since the strange incident occurred. The incident where everyone woke up with no recollection of what had happened in the past few days. It was bizarre. There were no records in the HIVE database, and no memories from anyone. It was as though the entire HIVE had blacked out.

Otto shook his head, trying to stop thinking about it. He tried remembering when he turned back to normal.

Otto was pretty sure he was knocked out when it happened. Because when he woke up with the rest of the school, he was back to normal. Luckily enough.

Suddenly, Laura opened the door with a bang. Otto jumped.

"What is it?" he asked. Laura heaved heavy breaths.

"Wing… Pike… don't… know… why…" she said. Otto pieced it together, running to Pike's lab.

When he got there, a small black bird flew out of the lab.

"PIIIIIIIIKKKKKKEEEEE!"

* * *

**HOMAYGAHD. **

**Thank you so much for joining me on this epic journey! Thank you to Dolce Entente, Dignity-Nightfall, Key of Ra, Automatic Apple, flying high 12, MasterOfGrey, DivineRedFire, KishikiBHBR, ZombieRider, Lazuli Shadow, CynRoxurSox, edenforest, and all the other reviewers for keeping me going!  
**

**Thank you, Mark Walden, for helping me change my story into something better.**

**Thank you, to my sister Billie, who wrote many of the chapters when I was brain dead.**

**Thank you, everyone, who made this story possible! THANK YOU!**

_**This story was published on 06-08-09, and was finished on 06-11-10.**_


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